Then

Everything that had happened was a bit of a blur. One moment, Phoenix had been in his playroom, gently working down Jace's unfounded insecurities, and the next he stood behind the stage in his Dom outfit of leather pants and boots next to an excited, though nervously smiling Jace.

Sure, he had voiced his worries with Jace when he had insisted on them doing a show, had done his best to prevent a situation where Jace could get overwhelmed, and maybe protected himself from the guilt of being the one to inflict any harm on the man he loved. In the end, Jace had convinced him, not only with his arguments of trust and understanding between them, but with the fact that he was a person who had the right to make his own choices at the risk of mistakes. Something Levi had robbed him of.

It had left Phoenix with the choice to stand on his own convictions and disappoint Jace, maybe setting back their relationship, or agree and take it as it came. He could not claim he did not want Jace on the stage and show off how perfect the man was. As a sub and as his equal partner. Equal meant joined decisions, so he had relented.

Talking it over, they had come to an agreement on what to do and what they were both comfortable exposing to the public. Phoenix had removed the detachable parts of Jace's cock cage, because no way in Hell would he want Jace on stage for people to see him wearing that. The steel bands, front ring, and plug, Phoenix had insisted they got rid of, but he had left the rings around the base and balls. Those were common and made Jace's erection look amazing.

Jace had stayed in the playroom to change into something fitting to wear on stage, while Phoenix had gone to inform Packard about them taking the slot and to give instructions to the stage crew about what they would need for their show instead of the setup they had planned for Jon and Daisy. In his usual pedantic way, Phoenix had overseen the workers finding everything he needed, and given them the implements and other equipment he had brought from his playroom to use for their show.

They had not gone back out into the club while waiting. Phoenix had spent the time massaging Jace, whispering about all the sexy acts they would do together in the playroom after their public scene. He had helped Jace's muscles relax, prepared his skin for the onslaught of the implements they had chosen together, and mentally gotten Jace in the zone. His submission was always a gift, and public submission was a deep declaration of trust beyond any gift.

Phoenix would do nothing to jeopardize that trust. He needed Jace excited, yes, but relaxed and in the mindset, ready to submit and enjoy. He had not just done it for Jace, Phoenix too had to straighten his thoughts to be there for Jace all the way. His usual exhibitions had been done responsibly, but on autopilot, with the same detachment as he had done everything before Jace, because he had felt nothing when doing it other than general appreciation for the sub, trusting him with their pleasure.

With Jace, it was intimate, beautiful, and held importance to him. And that scared him out of his mind. Even though he believed fully in himself, and trusted his instincts when it came to his abilities as a Dom, Jace's past was the joker in the deck every time they played. In public, even more so. Any sound from the room, a hit gone wrong, a mistakenly poor choice of words in their verbal play, anything really, could trigger Jace. Phoenix could not be the cause of Jace's pain. He would blame himself forever.

Grabbing Jace by the shoulders and turning him for them to face each other, Phoenix locked eyes with him, willing Jace to pay attention.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Phoenix asked, pouring all his concern into the gruffness of his voice. "It's not too late to change your mind. There's no shame in backing out."

"I'm sure. I'm not feeling pressured into anything, and I'm not afraid to go out there with you. You have to believe me when I say that." Jace's face held solemn conviction; there was no doubt or fear to detect, and his voice was calm.

"Ok." Phoenix accepted what Jace said. It would have been an insult to Jace if he argued further. He had asked a question, and Jace had answered. That was how their relationship worked, how BDSM worked in his mind. Mutual respect.

Gently, he kissed Jace's forehead and smiled, probably the last smile he would give until the scene was over. "When we go out there, I'll be in full Dom mode. I'm a Master Dom of this club, and you're my chosen sub, worthy of all my attention and devotion. Never lose sight of that. You're perfect for me. What others think is of no consequence. You and I matter, not them."

He waited for Jace to say something in acknowledgment, but he simply nodded and waited for the rest, as he knew there would be more coming. Jace was a smart man and a knowing sub, and he knew when Phoenix was on a word tirade and did not want to interrupt him, because he enjoyed listening to his voice and know he talked that much only with him. It made him feel special when Phoenix pushed past his inhibitions and spoke in full sentences with no gruffness or dismissiveness.

"Don't focus on the audience. Ignore them. It'll be just you and me. And I expect you to submit fully. Don't hold back your sounds or reactions. I want everything from you like in any other scene."

Again, Jace nodded.

"Your safe words will be in play at all times. If you don't want to let others know them, you can use the color system. I'll be vigilant with both versions, should you call any of them." Phoenix caressed Jace's chin and loved how Jace cuddled into his hand. Like a lion cub, a kitten, but with the heart of a king inside. "Baby, if you need to catch my attention out there but it's not a safe word situation, say my name. I'll know the difference."

A hand signal from one of the stage workers caught Phoenix's attention. He held up a hand to let Phoenix know they had five minutes before it was showtime and received a nod in acknowledgment. Realizing Jace had seen it too, he had no time to gather his thoughts and finish his pep-talk, because Jace drew in a calming breath and began gracefully to sink to his knees.

"Hell no!" Phoenix gritted out through clenched teeth, grabbing onto Jace's upper arms and pulling him back to stand. Too late, he understood how Jace had misinterpreted his words and the intensity of them. The way Jace looked down and bit his lip nervously with his shoulders hunched as if he was ashamed tore at Phoenix.

Jace waited for it. For Phoenix to tell him he had changed his mind about the scene, or worse, that he was not pleased with the display of submission he had offered by kneeling for his Dom to enter the stage. A gentle finger under his chin forced him to look up, but it took Jace a moment to gather the nerve to look into Phoenix's eyes. If anything, disappointment was what Jace feared most.

"I'm sorry, Jace. I didn't mean to sound harsh," Phoenix whispered softly, putting extra effort into using a soothing tone while he caressed Jace's cheek. He already regretted his outburst, seeing the reaction in Jace. "You don't crawl onto a stage like some dog to please a crowd or me. That may be what other Doms like, but I don't. You stand and walk beside me like a human being. I don't doubt you'll do what I ask of you on stage, but know, whether here, out there, or anywhere, you're my equal. Understood, Baby boy?"

By themselves, Jace's lips pulled up, and he beamed a kilowatt smile at Phoenix, loving the respect and lust with a hint of concern and guilt that swam in Phoenix's beautiful eyes. Only he could make something that Jace had always considered a privilege sound like common sense. "Yes, Sir."

A soft kiss got pressed onto his forehead, and Phoenix pulled back. "I may have to play it up a bit for the cheap seats. It's a showcase and supposed to be entertainment, after all. But what happens between us is like any scene we do in private. You hold all the cards, and your pleasure and needs are mine to fulfill. Don't lose sight of that. Let's erase some poor memories together?"

He wished he had it in him to give a verbal response, but Jace was too engrossed in his awe of Phoenix to say anything. Words refused to form and tumbled around in his head without wanting to be put into sentences. A simple nod accompanied by a shy smile was all he could do, but it looked enough because Phoenix seemed to relax and breathe easier. Though only for a moment before his face went blank, and he straightened his back. The dominant aura came off him with a hypnotic effect, mesmerizing Jace and pulling him into the right headspace to submit.

When Phoenix held out his hand for Jace, he took it and let himself get led from where they had waited. The bright spots directed at the stage blinded him momentarily, leaving him to only sense the room. All open chatter died instantly and got reduced to low murmurs that were impossible to make out. The room felt crowded, and Jace had no idea if his assumption was right, but it felt like every member of the club had crammed into the private club to watch the show. The amount of people did nothing to help the rising heat in the room, which, considering he was about to be naked, Jace appreciated to some extent. Musk and anticipation hung in the air. It invaded his nostrils with heavy potency and there was only one word for it. 

Lust!

The smell was too familiar, and for a moment, Jace felt thrown back to the times when Levi had put him in similar situations. It washed over him with a paralyzing effect, and he tensed up, floating into his memories. On his knees, thoroughly gagged to not protest or embarrass Levi, not that he would have done that again after the first time, and the consequences he had faced. The brutality of Levi's assertion of his control had hurt far deeper than the physical pain. His mind and self-worth had been the targets. Every public scene he had been ashamed and fragile, self-conscious about showing the body Levi spoke ill of any chance he got. Even standing tall and proud next to Phoenix, those feelings were there, and the voices of the past whispered maliciously in his ears.

Like he knew where Jace's mind had gone, Phoenix squeezed Jace's hand for assurance, and since Jace could not talk freely, he thanked Phoenix for his consideration by relaxing and pushing the thoughts aside. He was safe with his Dom, cared for. Cherished.

When Phoenix let go of his hand and softly commanded him to kneel, Jace gracefully sank down into a perfect kneeling position, allowing himself to relax and wait. Though he could hear what Phoenix said to the audience, Jace tuned it out and listened for commands only. It was oddly comforting for him to sit there in his headspace and simply wait. There were no worries about harsh or demeaning comments about his body or behavior. No taunting of the horrors to come. Just complete trust in Phoenix and acceptance of the submission Jace willingly gave the man.

A large hand raked through his hair and brought Jace out of his pleasant zoning out. For a second, he feared he had missed Phoenix asking something of him, but the hand just kept ruffling his hair and gently massaging his scalp as the words still flowed from Phoenix to the audience. Jace still didn't listen to the actual words. He listened to the tone of Phoenix's voice, to the mood the tone set. That calm, hypnotic tone he knew from the playroom. Like poetry; sweet, intimate, and with the ability to evoke feelings.

"Stand for me, please, Baby boy." The initial speech was over. Jace heard the shift in Phoenix's tone, how the conversational feel of the words turned more assertive. Though there was nothing threateningly dominant about it, he reacted to it because that was the voice of his Dom. His voice was just firmer, oozed power, yet still like a caress. In the same fluid motion he had kneeled, he stood up and waited for further instructions.

Behind him, he heard Phoenix's boots thump away, some low metallic clanging, and then the thumps came back. A light tap on his wrist and Jace presented his arm to Phoenix without hesitation. The soft suede lining of a leather cuff wrapped around his wrist, produced tantalizing goosebumps up his arm when Phoenix's fingers sensually touched his skin as he locked the cuff, making sure it was not too tight and turned the right way for the cuff to not hurt the skin. His arm got lifted, and the cuff hooked to what sounded like a chain, and when Phoenix let go of his arm, Jace allowed the hold of the chain and cuff to keep his arm up without straining. The same procedure was done with his other arm and left Jace standing comfortably. Phoenix guided Jace's legs apart to give him balance and adjusted the chains a bit with a crank for Jace to stand taut with his arms up and to the side, but still with both feet fully on the floor.

Somewhere during the cuffing, Jace had closed his eyes. The light no longer bothered him, and he sunk deeper into his headspace, still a bit anxious about the people watching them, but trusting in Phoenix to be there for him. Even more so, when Phoenix moved away, and the aura of comfort was gone, he clung to that belief.

The boots' thumps circled around him on the stage, indicating that Phoenix took in the view and admired his handiwork of having Jace strung up, open and vulnerable. A shiver went through him, and a moment later, Phoenix's low-rumbling voice sounded close to his ear.

"I'm here. Relax." Phoenix's naked chest pressed against Jace's back, warm and safe. He hushed Jace when he whimpered for comfort. "Leave your mind and your worries. I will protect you and guide you."

Sensually slow-moving hands snaked around Jace's midsection, leaving a burning trail of heat along every inch of skin they passed. Jace's stomach muscles tightened under the rousingly moving fingers that followed the outline of his abs, up and down until one hand went farther down. The way Jace had sucked in his stomach with the tensing of his abs left an inviting gap at his v-line, where his jeans sat low on his hips, leaving plenty of room for Phoenix's hand to venture into the pants.

"You feel divine, Baby boy. Your skin is like the finest silk. Your muscles are so hard under my fingers," Phoenix whispered in a warm breath into Jace's ear, not stopping his hands' exploration for a second. "Do you even know how good you look standing here? I'll let you in on a secret. I didn't leave you to scare you. Baby, I moved away to look at you. Look at what's mine."

Lingering kisses followed by a tickling tongue down from Jace's ear to his shoulder and back up made Jace shiver again, not from nerves that time. "I could watch you for hours. You're that beautiful, Jace. You don't even have to be naked. Just a pair of jeans and nothing else, and you're still perfection. Don't you know that you're a masterpiece to me?"

With a breathy moan, Jace tilted his head back and to the side to rest on Phoenix's shoulder and allowed him more room for the kisses that set his blood on fire and had him inwardly screaming for more.

"Answer me, Baby. Do you know, or do I have to convince you?"

Deep down, Jace knew. Phoenix never lied to him. His honesty and open declarations of admiration and praise always fell freely from his lips. His eyes never betrayed the words, and his body's reactions were genuine and uncontrollable. When Phoenix spoke like that, it was the absolute truth. But Jace needed to hear it again. To be on a stage and feel confirmed rather than broken, so he licked his lips and answered, "Convince me, Sir."

A low chuckle sent vibrations through Phoenix's chest and into Jace, down his spine, and spread out like a sensory explosion. "As you wish." Rubbing just above the base of Jace's straining cock that was painfully locked away in his pants, Phoenix made sure to keep Jace aroused and needy. He rubbed his lower body against Jace's backside to show his carnal reaction, just a rotating motion and no thrusting.

"Your ass is so firm. Your legs, long and strong, just as I like them. Do you know I know every dip and curve of your body by heart?" Phoenix kissed the base of Jace's skull, down his neck and back up, moving out along the shoulder, still rubbing one hand below the waist of Jace's pants and the other ghosting over his nipples. The nubs pebbled up from the warmth near them, reaching for the fingers they could not quite reach. Aching with sweet pain in anticipation of being touched. "I know all your tattoos, your scars, and that tiny birthmark right here..."

Kissing under Jace's arm, Phoenix pointed out what he was talking about. "Not one of them takes anything from you. You're not only handsome, Jace, you're magnificent." Teasingly, the hand down Jace's pants wrapped around the aching erection, and Jace released a long unfiltered moan. The hand let go and moved up to join the other, finally connecting with the nipples in rolling motions with flat palms. "Your stomach and pecs are a work of art, your arms are strong, and your face. Baby, your face is everything. Lips, jaw, cheeks, eyes, forehead. Pure perfection," Phoenix finished in a purring voice that, again, made Jace shiver.

Never before, and there had been plenty of times where Phoenix had doted on his body, had Jace felt that desired. That attractive and worthy. His breath became labored with every word that tumbled from Phoenix and wrapped him in a bubble where only they existed. Every beautiful word extended that bubble and loaded it with electricity between them, zapping his flushed skin into a hypersensitive state, demanding more touches.

"Sir..."

Again, Phoenix chuckled. A dark sound of promises of where they were heading with their joined rising levels of unadulterated lust. While still keeping attention to one nipple, the other hand traveled to Jace's side and up the back to Jace's neck, gently across his cheek, and to his hair. It wrapped into the silky locks and grabbed on, forcing Jace's head far back and close to Phoenix's mouth. "Are you convinced yet?"

"Yesh..." The word dragged out into a moan.

"Are you ready for me to treat this wonderful body like I know it needs? To let me color it with my whips and show everyone why you're my sub and no one else will ever measure up?"

Planting his feet to ground himself, Jace gently pulled his head back into place to stand upright, though Phoenix still had a loose grip on his hair. He drew in a calming breath and submitted fully without reservations or fears. "Please, Sir. I'm yours. Do what you want."

Slowly letting go of Jace's hair and untangling his arms from the feverish body in front of him, Phoenix whispered, "That's a very dangerous statement there, Baby boy. Because I want you to moan, ache for more, and beg for your release. Then I want to see bliss on your face. See your mouth fall open while sweat drips down your body as the orgasm takes you to those stars of yours."

Jace whimpered at the loss of Phoenix's closeness, the lack of warmth radiating off his Dom, but he did not care. He knew he would feel a different warmth soon enough, knew Phoenix was right there with him, and they were in it together. He blocked out the low murmurs from the audience who had followed the intimate and gentle build-up, knowing it would go into a wild pace and a roughness expected from a man with Phoenix's skills and a sub of Jace's caliber.

There was no warning. Only the sound of air being broken and the whistling swoosh it made before the first crack of a flogger hit Jace's back. His response was a sweet-sounding moan, but there came no other reactions. He did not move from the hit, nor did he make any facial expressions.

The first ten or so hits went the same way. Jace felt how the falls of the flogger kissed his back, and he leaned into his relaxed mind to absorb them, knowing the force Phoenix put into his warmups, but something felt off. Something he had never experienced with Phoenix before.

"Phoenix," he mumbled in a confused tone.

As soon as the sound had left Jace, Phoenix stopped the next hit mid-swing. He pulled back the flogger to not impact with Jace and allowed the falls of the flogger to hit himself on his thigh, forcing the leather pants to take the sting of it. Not that he cared, it had not hurt, and even if it had, he would have disregarded it. Phoenix was with Jace in a second, dropping the flogger in his swift movement to get to his sub, who needed him. Soothing hands rubbed over Jace's back, searching instinctively for injuries while he damned himself for whatever he had done wrong.

"Are you ok, Baby? Did I harm you?"

"What's with the fucking noodle arms, Phoenix? A three-year-old can do pat-a-cake harder than that."

Glad he stood shielded with his face in the crook of Jace's neck, Phoenix hid the blush that found its way to his cheeks. He had been going soft to ease Jace into harsher hits, something he had never done before. To him, it had been natural since Jace was on stage, and there was always the unknown factor of Jace's reactions to account for.

"I was easing into it for you." He had been called out, and though it had sprung from good intentions, Phoenix would own up to what he had done.

"I need you to be you. Be who you are with me, as if this is us in the playroom. Sir, I need you to bring the Dom."

"Understood. I won't hold back then?"

"Wouldn't want it any other way. Show them your skills, and show me you know what I need."

On his way back to his spot, Phoenix shook off the mindset that had made him deviate from his usual routine with Jace. Of course, his perfect boy would know the difference and call him out on it. Jace was a true submissive, and he gave his all. He expected the same in return, and Phoenix should have anticipated that. He picked up the flogger and took his position, breathing and concentrating, keeping his eye on Jace and his ears trained on the calm breaths he took. Jace was ready, so he lifted the flogger into a swinging position and let it rip.

The sound of the flogger meeting skin cracked through the room like a gunshot. Jace's inevitable moan followed, and Phoenix drew back his arm to go again. Hit after hit landed on the widest part of Jace's back with precision and intensity. Every swing was measured perfectly by Phoenix to land the flogger's falls where he wanted them to impact, slowly coloring the skin. Never did he hit over the shoulders for the falls to reach the arms or wrap over the shoulder curve and hit on Jace's front. Never did he hit below the ribcage where the inner organs were unprotected under the soft skin.

From the first hit until the last, before Phoenix moved to Jace's front where he continued with the same precise hits to the chest and stomach, again careful to not let the falls wrap around Jace to reach places that could harm him where his insides did not safely hide behind his rock-hard abs, Jace relaxed into the ministrations. He released moan after moan as Phoenix expertly built the endorphins inside him to counter the pain. That buildup was the balance needed in him to set off his surrender to the tantalizing pain that centered in his groin as a knot of heat, pulsing through his cock and begging for release.

After having worked his way through a harsher multi-tailed whip and a crop for more concentrated attention to the nipples, Phoenix stopped and stepped back, admiring how Jace, despite drawing in breath in raspy heaves, groaning slightly, hoarse from the symphony of sounds he had produced during the warmup, still stood in position. His legs trembled a bit and the muscles in his arms quivered under the skin in the most inviting way.

There was no way to describe how Jace looked; his hair was disheveled from tossing his head about, his chest rising and falling with each calming breath, and the need and lust deep in his half-hooded eyes that rolled a bit from time to time. The outline of his cock under the restricting fabric only told of the need in him, and Phoenix wished he could move on to that part rather than the punishment. He never enjoyed disciplining Jace, not that he had needed to often. Their interactions were usually of pleasurable pain, not correction of behavior, because Jace was exemplary in his submission.

In long, gliding motions of his hands, Phoenix stood in front of Jace and massaged his arms and shoulders, checking his hands for blood flow and his wrist to see if the cuffs had chafed him. "Are you alright to continue, Baby?"

"Yes, Sir. Please. I need to cum."

"All in good time," Phoenix murmured, still massaging Jace's upper body to relieve the tension from the position. "We still have your punishment to go through and trust me, your ass will be sore for a while."

Jace snapped for air, not for a second doubting what he was told. The few times Phoenix had punished him, it had felt like a punishment. He did not mind it. Phoenix was more than fair and never took behavioral corrections too far. They would agree on an implement and number, that they both felt fit for the transgression, and after, the slate got wiped clean, never to be used against Jace again. Even if a correction for the same mistake should occur. Phoenix simply punished him for the then and there issue, and afterward, all was forgiven, hopefully with a lesson learned and better behavior in the future.

Most of Jace's corrections had come from him not being ready on time at the club, because he had fun with Chess and Eoin in the subs' locker room, or not arriving at the playroom when agreed, because he was so vain about looking his best, resulting in tardiness. As a Dom, it was Phoenix's job to set up reasonable rules, and he as a person was a stickler for punctuality, so since he had very few rules that annoyed him when broken, that one gave the harshest punishments. It was time they could have spent enjoying each other, and being robbed of that he never liked, though he admittedly adored how Jace always prettied himself up to look alluring.

"I'm ready, Sir."

"But who says I am?" With a grip on Jace's chin, Phoenix kept Jace's head up for them to see each other, and knowing he had his back to the audience, he smiled mischievously. "I've fantasized about having you on this stage too many times. Please, Jace, permit me to show off a bit?"

Phoenix shook his head with embarrassment at his need to show off his skills, that raw and Neanderthal feeling it gave him to see Jace's skin redden, hear his moans, groans, and, at times, beautiful cries while he processed the pain and turned it into pleasure. Jace never screamed, not that it was something Phoenix wanted, it was just natural for subs to let out a scream here and there. But with Jace, Phoenix saw it as a remnant of Levi's abuse. Screaming meant weakness to Jace, because Levi had forced screams of agony and despair from him enough times to never want that feeling in him again.

Jace was not weak anymore. He enjoyed his sexual role, felt elevated through his submission to Phoenix, and screaming, to him, would put Phoenix and Levi at the same level. Phoenix had tried to explain to Jace that screaming was a reaction and never a show of weakness, but Jace refused to accept that, and Phoenix had left it alone. There were safe words to compensate for screams, and Jace could stop any scene before he would have to be in a situation where he felt weak, so it was the best of both worlds.

Holding on to Jace's chin, Phoenix saw a grin as mischievous as the one he had given. "Do it, Sir. You know what I can take, bring me to the edge, and then make me cum."

The words were an airy mix of lust and excitement, sending shivers down Phoenix's spine. That was why Jace was the perfect sub for him. They were at a natural wavelength, always matching in their desires and understanding of the give and take between them. Jace had needed to be shown off on stage, to feel how he was accepted as Phoenix's sub, and now he allowed for Phoenix's need to show his unrestrained power. Not the controlled Dom he had been during the exhibitions he had done before with house subs. But the full scope of a Master with all the skills and privileges that came with having found his match.

"I'll bring it all, and you still have your punishment. Are you ready for that?"

"Hell, yes!"

A proud look set in the depths of Phoenix's eyes that were almost black from the endorphins rushing through him. The same way Jace's lust and pain tolerance increased the longer they played, Phoenix, too, had a rise in his endorphin level to keep him going and not tire. He pecked a kiss on Jace's dry lips, licked over them to moisten them, and pulled back, releasing his grip on the chin.

Sliding under Jace's arm, Phoenix positioned himself behind Jace once again. Kissing his neck as their sweaty upper bodies rubbed against each other's, sending small jolts through Jace when his whipped skin got touched. He hummed and enjoyed how sensitive Jace was, how pliant and eager. It never ceased to amaze Phoenix how lucky he was. All his pining and doubts when waiting for Jace got erased when they were together. Their interactions helped him cope with the long game he was playing to win Jace.

Phoenix reached around and his fingers traveled the expanse of Jace's muscular torso. Following the dips and curves, he knew so well, the way that Jace loved. The loving exploration got rewarded with a hum from Jace when the fingers followed the light welts left by the whips.

Each touch was like an electric zap, resulting in lustful shivers and contracting muscles. Currents ran along the skin just above the blood that coursed through Jace at the speed of a raging river, going south, in the same direction as Phoenix's exploring fingers. A small sigh escaped Jace's lips when Phoenix undid the button on the jeans and opened them enough to let the erection out, hard and pulsing in the warm grip that embraced it. Total bliss to finally feel touched after an entire night of being erect and unsated.

The grip on his most needy and sensitive flesh scrambled Jace's mind. Rationality and coherence left him with each exhale, leaving only thoughts of Phoenix and the throbbing in his cock. Throbs strong enough to threaten his knees to buckle, and needs deep enough to crave release. Verbal communication was not an option, only a begging whine left him to hopefully be heard by his Dom.

In response, Phoenix chuckled and kissed Jace's neck. Gliding down Jace's back, Phoenix let go of the tempting cock and peeled down Jace's pants, making him step out of them in front of everyone. Phoenix smirked in the safety behind Jace's muscular thigh at the surprised sounds from the audience. Jace had a good-sized cock on him that was a pleasure to play with, and Jace, naked, was a sight to behold. He moved up again after having kissed lovingly on each of Jace's ass cheeks that would soon glow from the kisses of the whips and paddle. Sensually, he licked his way up, tasting the salty sweat and breathing in Jace's unique coconut smell that always got more prominent when he was warm.

Phoenix always imagined that smell like one from a scented candle, and no secret about his hate of those, but Jace still reminded him of one. The smell was there when close, but when lit and heated, that alluring scent increased in power and wafted beyond its initial reach, surrounding everyone within proximity.

"I believe you said you wished to cum?" The whisper was low and only meant for Jace. The shiver that went through the bound man and the wave of goosebumps littering his skin was enough for Phoenix to know Jace had heard him.

"Do you want me to grant you an orgasm before I show everyone how beautiful you look with your skin reddened by the impacts, welts swelling from the bites of the falls, and that look of utter bliss on your face?"

"Please," Jace whined in need, his cock demanded attention, and his brain fogged up with that need, overriding everything else in his mind. The whine turned into an unashamed groan, and his head fell back on Phoenix's shoulder when a warm hand closed around his balls. The hand gently fondled the sack, and though it was pleasurable, Jace knew Phoenix felt to test if they were swollen, too warm, or too cold. Responsible and a tease, a very unfair combination to Jace.

Slender fingers engulfed the hard shaft and carefully stroked it up and down, creating the most magical friction. Shots of lust, derived from the sensitivity of the needy organ, Jace moaned softly and pushed his hips forward for more attention. A finger slid over the bulbous head and caught the pearl of pre-cum that had escaped, even with the cock ring on. It smeared the clear liquid around and coated the tip of the finger that Phoenix held up for Jace to lick. Another moan hummed through Jace when his lips closed around the digit. He suckled on it and cleaned it, as he was sure Phoenix wanted without a command to do so.

Another finger joined the first and Jace licked them with passion until they got withdrawn and returned to the waiting erection. At first, they slid over the head again and then down until a steady hold caught Jace by surprise.

"Why don't you cum for us then?" Phoenix began with careful strokes, only to increase the grip and pressure. The strokes turned into a rhythmic pumping which had Jace tiptoeing on the edge he had balanced for hours.

"Sir..." Jace gasped, arching into the increasing speed and stimulation.

"Oh, no you don't." Phoenix grabbed around Jace with his other hand, pulling him back and holding him flush against his chest, locked in place and continuing to jerk him off at a furious pace, listening carefully to Jace's stream of moans and complaining whines at the cock ring that prevented his ejaculation. "I'll not stop. Cum at any point, I want you to."

Jace's body bucked against Phoenix's hold. His mind was frantic with the want to comply, not only his need to fall over the edge but to obey his Dom. Still, it did not happen. The knot of volcanic heat, that had sat centered in his lower abdomen the entire night, expanded with every rough pump of Phoenix's unyielding pace. He had to cum, had to satiate that scorching burn inside, the ache in him that was like an open wound. Raw and sensitive to everything.

"I'm..." Jace rasped on a breath, throwing his head forward. "Take... Off..."

"No, you can do it. Let go. Embrace the feeling." Intensely, Phoenix listened to how Jace began holding his breath and gasped shallowly, only to hold it again. The rapid pounding of his heart he easily felt with the arm around Jace, his own heartbeat almost as fast in anticipation. The power that surged through him was intoxicating on a level that rivaled an orgasm.

"I'm counting down from five, and then you cum for me," Phoenix growled. "Five. Four. Three. Two... One, cum!"

Hi dear Wattlings.

Thank you for reading.

It's been a while. But I've got a bit of heat for you, and there'll be more in the next chapter.

Good news, Russian Roulette: Flashbacks has performed in an award and won 2nd place in The Ecstatic Awards, action category. 98/100 points where the 1st place winner got 99/100, so, I'm quite proud.

But how do you like Jace and Phoenix's first public scene? Do you think it'll end well? Will they have some good fun and entertain until the end?

If you like it, then pop a vote and please leave comments. The comments are important for me to know how the story is progressing and the characters are developing. And I'd love to know what you think and interact with y'all.

Give me a follow too for updates on other work and put this book in your library. I'd appreciate that.

Love, Alix

Published: May 13th, 2022. ©Alix Davenport, Copenhagen