When Mason had first entered his room, he couldn't believe how much he already loved it. It was impeccably to his taste he had to wonder how they had done it.

It wasn't even the fact that it was a huge room. Everything was fit weirdly to his liking. The rules hang on one side of the room facing his bed, as if to serve as a constant reminder of what he'd signed his life into. It was even designed in red, his favorite color.

And when Mason lowered himself on the bed, he noticed the phone by the bedside stand and picked it up.

He wanted to roll his eyes at the fact that just like the framed rules the back of it was red too, but he didn't because he had to admit, it looked beautiful.

Mason turned the phone over in his hand, it wasn't so big, but it wasn't small either. He didn't turn it on, because he just didn't want to get overwhelmed.

Things were happening about a thousand miles per minute. Just yesterday he had convinced himself it would be worth it and that he had nothing to lose if he had showed up, and now here he was.

He'd let the phone overwhelm him perhaps later, Mason went to take a shower in the bathroom that looked almost the size of the room. He needed a long bath, but he would do that later, right now he was on edge.

He had enough time to snoop around and have a look if he wanted to but no, he'd done enough exploring for one day.

He lay flat on his back on his new queen size bed and stared up at the ceiling letting out a heavy breath.

Focus... he told himself. You're here now, for a reason.

He'd left his window open and now a breeze crept in, causing him to shut his eyes in peace. He might have drifted off to sleep right there, but the soft knock on his door jolted him back to reality.

Tadashi was here.

As Mason's heart began to race in anticipation for what was to come, he opened his door and got out.

Jet too, was out of his room by the time he had closed his door right behind him. He kept his face neutral as their gazes met for a brief moment.

Mason believed that the other man wasn't someone he even wanted to talk to. He didn't like him.

At best, he'd try to tolerate him and in reality that was only because their rooms were really really close to each other.
The way the man seemed to try to avoid everyone was the same way Mason was determined to avoid him.

"Let's go get the others shall we?" Asked Tadashi, polite as always.

It was moments later that they settled down.

To pass the time and the tension, Mason tried to conjure up an image of the Master in his head. He was an elderly man most likely, maybe not so old but a few wrinkles here and there. White-ish or graying hair. To him, it was obviously that kind of thing. But there was no helping it now though, whatever happened would be it.

So when he had come in from the direction everyone was looking at, Mason had tried deliberately but couldn't seem to prevent his jaw from hanging open.

He was definitely not old. In fact, Mason could bet their ages ranged around the same brackets. His dark hair was swept back to reveal stormy blue grey eyes.

With a bit of his hair falling to his forehead, he was like a dark horse, eyes brewing up a storm and looking like a creature impossible to tame.

Even the way he had rolled up his sleeves and lowered himself at the head of the table radiated power. Mason was completely overwhelmed.

And so fucking turned on.

Every word caught at his throat as he openly stared. The Master had a strong straight nose and lips that looked so sinful Mason bit his own.

His eyes darted to the hands resting on the table, veiny, strong and looking so damn sexy Mason tried to distract himself from the image his mind kept on stubbornly sending him.

Strong veiny hands restraining him, one hand tightening around his throat and squeezing while he was being forcefully taken from beh–

Fuck!

Mason brushed the thought away and managed somehow to look away from him.

He focused on the table, staring at nothing. Was he the only one who was so affected? As far as he knew, since the Master had appeared, everyone else had disappeared from the table.

It might have been safe to say that no one had ever had such an effect on him.

Nobody talked, and the Master so gracefully took his time. He seemed to be doing it on purpose, looking intently at them but silently, it made him squirm. He didn't know what the others were going through but it sure wasn't pretty on his side.

Mason fiddled with his sweaty palms as he looked back to the Master. It felt like he was dreaming because their eyes met, and he was transfixed.

Their eyes didn't only meet, the Master smirked at him, and in that moment he could have offered him anything. For the millionth time probably, Mason licked his lips and looked away. He was so out of it, so disoriented and nothing had even happened yet.

"I am the Master."

He might or might not have mentally orgasmed.

Yeah no kidding.

He was sure he was breathing heavily. The Master's voice was husky and so deep, it grazed his skin as goosebumps broke out across it.

"You must all be hungry," he added.

He seemed nice enough.

A voice at the back of Mason's head seemed to mock him for thinking so. Despite anything, the sinfully handsome man was saying, nothing seemed to be very sweet or nice about him for that matter.

It didn't take long before several dishes were brought out and placed before them, so many choices of food to pick from. Light foods, some of which he couldn't even name.

Mason noted that there was no plate placed before the Master as had been done for the rest of them. Was he not going to eat?

"In exactly one week, we'll meet just like this, and talk about the rest of our six months here. If you have any questions, you'll ask me then. The first week of the competition is always designed to just make sure. To ease you in, you could say."

Then why do you sound so evil?

"Starting tonight, each of you will spend one night with me where I'll give you a chance to convince me to let you stay."

Mason noticed that everyone was cautious to start eating. Next to him, Zel was looking all shades of pink as his messy hair flocked around him.

"From the moment you signed those papers you have to know," the Master leaned in. "You belong to me. For as long as I want you."

God what have we done?

The pressure was on. Nobody dared to speak. In fact, since the Master had sat down, no one had dared to say anything.

"Only I, can let you go."

Mason licked his lips at the way he'd said it. He was so out of it. Surely he couldn't be the only one feeling this way.

The glimpses from the other men communicated want, fear, and possibly desire. Everyone seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

The few times he wasn't looking down or away from the Master, his eyes could only dart to the expensive looking watch that adorned his wrist.

It was like the only way he could look to him without having to actually look at him. The watch alone looked like it could buy Mason's life.

"Now, eat."

꧁_______________꧂

'A Night with the Master'

The words popped up on Zel's phone screen. It was mentioned earlier that that was what the first week was referred to as. It seemed fitting somehow.

There was an envelope below the words. He tapped on it.

༻༺

'You have been randomly selected to spend the first night with the Master.'

'Do not, take this lightly.'
༻༺

Zel didn't even know where to begin. Was he supposed to just go? Now? Should he wait?

For whatever reason, he showered again. He blamed it on the pressure and that wasn't even totally off. The Master was intimidating, anyone could have done the same.

Then he pondered for the longest time over what he should wear, even if it should have been a no brainer.

"You're just going to sleep! Are you stupid?" He asked himself over and over. But eventually he got things done.

Later that night, Zel watched as the Master closed the door behind him. Here was a man who didn't need words to have people's knees buckling. The way he regarded him said it all.

He watched as each button of his crispy white shirt was unfastened slowly, one by one, his eyes powerless to look away as the Master didn't take his off him either.

"Why do you squirm so much? We are only going to talk."

Yeah and then be on the same bed and like share it till morning and act like it's nothing when obviously it's not nothing! Zel's thoughts were all over his head.

When the Master was done with the torturously slow activity, he discarded the shirt. It shouldn't have been hot, but the smaller man bit his lower lip. Longing in his eyes.

It was crazy because this was the first time he was seeing the man. And it was this bad.

Ever since he had sat on the table, Zel's body been hot in all kinds of ways. And now hunger gnawed at his loins as the intimidating man leaned into him on the bed.

The heady cologne that clung to his skin mixed with his manly scent drove the blonde haired one all sorts of crazy.

Reflexively, he leaned back further into the bed as if touching was a risk of annihilation.

"Your time here is not going to be about what you want. It's always about what I want," the Master said, smirking at Zel, doing things to his organs no one should be able to.

Where was his verbosity when he needed it?

"Right now, I'm only doing this to deny you what you crave in the end," the Master's voice whispered then grunted in a short laugh.

"You don't know what I want," Zel tried to sound defiant, making a show of putting his little nose in the air.

It was almost like he was declaring that grass was blue.

"You're really cute," the Master said, combing his fingers through Zel's long hair. The other man gasped, not expecting it.

The hard bare chest was now so close to his face as the Master towered over his small frame, just a little more and his nose would be pressed against it. Just a little...

"Ahhh–" Zel exclaimed in shock.

His hair was gripped unexpectedly and yanked, forcing his head back and his eyes to look up helplessly at the Master.

"So... you don't want me to pin you down? To lick your pretty mouth? Or to pull your hair like this?"

Zel whimpered but desire glazed his eyes.

"When I ask you a question, you will answer me. Is that understood?"

Zel seemed to blink out of his trance. He swallowed the void in his mouth. It ashamed him that it felt so good. He felt really good.

"Y- Yes Daddy," he answered. Tasting the word in his mouth, he was the color of a tomato.

"I won't ask again."

"N-no, I mean yes Daddy, I want that."

The Master smirked, "That's what I thought."

He went back to removing the rest of his clothing. Zel's eyes were glued to the muscle in his thighs as the dress pants slipped off. He literally looked like he could break him in half.

He liked that.

"Gosh what's wrong with me?" Zel muttered to himself under his breath, and somehow the Master caught it. His reply was curt and direct.

"You want me, plain and simple."

Zel felt strong hands pull him in, and then he was off the bed and up in the air, in the Master's arms. Skin against skin, the room had suddenly become the world's largest oven.

"And we'll get to that. The true mystery is, how much will you be able to take?"