Metamorphosis Read online

  Ciel moaned.

  A hand played now with his bound cock, moving it around. A tongue licked his balls, played with the plug in his ass. “Please,” he pleaded.

  “Open your eyes,” Gary said.

  Ciel looked at him.

  “See how hard I am? I want you to fuck me, but first, something to remember you by.” He saw the flash, then another, then several more. “For my own private collection,” he said.

  Ciel was about to protest when he felt Gary pull the clamps off his nipples, then kiss each one. Next his cock sprang loose, then the plug was pulled out of his ass.

  “Lower your hands,” Gary said, “and I’ll undo the cuffs.”

  Ciel held out his hands for the guy to unlock the cuffs.

  “Now, are we horny enough?” Gary grinned at him. He walked over to the sofa and flung himself over it, ass up. “Now, I want to be fucked and good and hard. Show me what you got. And you better tell me your name, because I plan to be screaming it.”

  “Ciel,” he grunted, positioning himself behind Gary and grabbing his hips. “My name is Ciel. Go ahead, and scream all you want!”

  * * * *

  When Ciel finally opened his eyes, he wasn’t sure where in the hell he was, then he looked around and remembered. He checked his watch. It was after three o’clock in the afternoon. Shit. He’d missed his morning class, not to mention that he was a half hour late for his shift at the restaurant. The boss was going to kill him.

  He stumbled to his feet and searched for his clothes. He hastily got dressed, found the bathroom and took a piss, then checked the bedroom. No one. Good. He was gone. He was just about to leave when he spotted the digital camera on the counter. Did that guy take pictures of him? Shit. He remembered the flash. He picked up the camera and turned it on. Sure enough, there were several images of him, naked and bound. Wonderful. He went through the line of them and pressed erase.

  His head ached, worsening when he hit outdoors. The sun was bright. He searched for his bike and found it twenty minutes later, intact. His keys were in his pocket.

  As he drove like hell to work, he tried to think of what he’d tell his boss. He hoped he wouldn’t fire him. He’d never been late before. Damn you, Scott. “I’m not going to ruin my life because of you,” he shouted. “I don’t want one-night stands with strangers, I want a relationship with someone I can love and share things with, and if I can’t find it with you, then I’ll find it with someone else.”

  When he walked into the restaurant, he realized there were tears running down his face. He was about to wipe them away when he spotted the manager.

  The boss looked irate.

  “I’m so sorry, Alec,” he said. “I’ve just had some very bad news.”

  When the boss saw the tears on his face, he seemed to calm down. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No,” he said. “But thank you. Again, I apologize for being late.”

  “That’s all right, Ciel. Try not to let it happen again.”

  Ciel thanked him again, breathed an inward sigh of relief, and went right to work.

  Chapter Six

  Amanda was sitting downstairs in the living room watching some mindless show on television when Scott finally made an appearance. He had washed and shaved, put on some jeans and a sleeveless tee-shirt. He looked a little haggard. “Hangover?” she suggested.

  He shook his head. “I’m fine, miraculously. I want to speak to you and Hunter.”

  “I sent Hunter to the store with a list of books and movies I wanted him to buy.”

  “I bet it was quite a list.”

  “It was,” she nodded solemnly. The words he’d said to her last night had been playing over and over in her head and still lingered. She hadn’t slept well.

  “Amanda, about last night…” he began, coming closer.

  She put up her hand. “Let’s forget it.”

  “No, we can’t. I know I said some horrible things. I can’t remember all of it, but I know I blamed you for Ciel and I, and…”

  “You were drunk.”

  “That’s not an excuse, Amanda. Don’t make up excuses for my bad behavior.” He looked down at her, meeting her gaze. “You’ve been nothing but kind to me. I love you, you know that?”

  Tears sprang to her eyes. She nodded. She did know that, and she loved him.

  “I’m going through a hard time right now and…”

  “Scott,” she reached out her hand to him. “You’re going to lose him. Don’t lose him. Go and talk to him.”

  “And say what?” He swallowed. He sank down beside her on the sofa. She placed a hand on his head and lowered it to her shoulder. “Amanda, why can’t it be like it was before? Why can’t we just go back to when it was just you and me and the variety of perfect bodies and … it was so simple.”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I know. But time marches on and things change. We can’t go back.” She kissed the top of his head. “Scott, all the booze is gone. The reserve for my guests is locked away. I wanted you to know that.”

  He lifted his head. “I understand. It’s a good idea. I don’t have any control.”

  “When you’re hurting, it’s the first place you turn.”

  “Are you having guests tonight?” He picked up his head and looked at her.

  “Yes, Liam Dunn and…”

  “Liam Dunn is coming here?” His eyes widened.

  “Yes. The guy he’s bringing with him, Hans, speaks little English. We need a translator.”

  “Liam doesn’t translate. He hires someone to do it for him. He must like you.”

  “It’s not that.” She waved her hand as Scott sat up straight. “How do you know Liam?” She narrowed her eyes.

  “Amanda?” Scott smiled.

  “What?”

  “Do you have a thing for Liam Dunn?”

  “Of course not,” she snapped. “What in hell would make you think that? Jacques is in Amsterdam and…”

  “It’s just the way you looked at me when you asked me that. And Liam is a handler; he doesn’t come to people’s houses to translate or do anything else. I find that a little suspicious. You must have made an impression on him.”

  “I’m a good client, that’s all.”

  Scott laughed.

  She gave him a shove. “Stop that. So,” she said, looking at him intently. “Tell me how you know Liam Dunn?”

  “He was my trainer.” He lifted an eyebrow, then grinned at her when he saw her surprised expression.

  “Your … you mean … he trained you … literally?”

  “When we enter the Agency, we must swear to never reveal anything about our trainers or the training we receive, so…”

  “I assumed that. None of you guys have ever told me anything. And Jacques, does he actually do that too, train people? I know, I shouldn’t ask.”

  “I’m not at the Agency anymore,” he shrugged. “And the answer to that is yes. Jacques also does training.”

  “A hands-on trainer,” she repeated.

  “Yes. You find that hard to believe?”

  “I don’t know, maybe. It’s just Jacques and Liam who train?”

  “As far as I know. Sometimes senior rent boys do it.”

  “That’s so British … rent boys.” She giggled.

  “I prefer that term.”

  “Did you ever train anyone?”

  “No. I wasn’t senior enough. You whisked me away before I got to that stage. Usually it’s those close to retirement. Jacques sometimes keeps them on as trainers. I think he does it to be benevolent, rather than just kicking them out.”

  “Why did Liam train you and not Jacques?”

  “Curious girl,” he grinned. “Well, I had both of them really. I began with Liam. Liam had brought some new meat from Europe, and Jacques was busy at the house in France. I ended my training with Jacques, but I almost didn’t make it.”

  “Why not?”

  “There are a lot of trust issues involved. I had a lot of problems with that, as you can imagine.”

  “How long is the training usually?” Amanda leaned forward.

  “Six months, sometimes longer. It depends.”

  “Six months?”

  “Yes, it’s … ah … complicated.”

  “Complicated how?”

  “I really can’t go into that, even though I’m not part of it anymore. It’s better left unsaid.”

  “Okay. If you don’t … perform? Do you have to pass a test?”

  “You have to pass a variety of tests. And if you fail them, you’re given a kind of severance package and a ‘goodbye,’ or sometimes you’re restricted to specific clients, based on your performance.”

  “Thanks for trusting me with that.”

  “Amanda, I would trust you with my life. Now, tonight when your guests come, I will make myself scarce.”

  “No. You will join us for dinner.”

  “But not upstairs in the playroom?”

  “Not upstairs in the playroom … at least, not until I know for sure where you stand with Ciel. Okay?”

  “I’ll talk to him.” Scott stood up. “Amanda. Again, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I need to apologize to Hunter too when he gets back.”

  “You know, Scott, I’ve been thinking about the things you said last night, and there’s no reason to go on about it, but … there’s always a grain of truth in everything … no matter the delivery.”

  “Amanda, listen…”

  “No, I took what you said to heart last night, Scott. You gave me a lot to think about. Let’s leave it at that, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  * * * *

  Hunter saw Amanda come downstairs three times wearing three different outfits. He didn’t comment, but she seemed really keyed up. He wondered if she had worked things out with Scott.

  Finally when she came into the living room and sat down, Hunter asked her if she was all right.

  “Fine. Why?” She fiddled with the lavender dress she had on. It had a plunging neckline and was a little frilly around the collar and at the bottom of the skirt. She wore a pair of mauve high heels which she kept staring at. “These shoes are all wrong,” she muttered. “And I should have something at the neck, don’t you think?” She looked over at him as if he would know something about fashion accessories.

  “Hell, I don’t know. Shoes look fine to me.”

  “I could wear black,” she said. “I wish I had a pair the same color as this dress. I saw a pair once, but they didn’t look…”

  “Amanda,” Hunter interrupted. “What are you talking about?”

  “Shoes.”

  “Where’s Scott?”

  “I don’t know. He’s going to join us for supper only, not later, and don’t you encourage him.” She pointed her finger.

  He walked over, leaned down and pretended to take a bite out of her wagging finger.

  She gave him an irritated look.

  “I have no intention of it. So, who’d you get finally?”

  “Hans.”

  “Who?”

  “Hans. He doesn’t speak much English.”

  He laughed. “Great.”

  “Liam is going to translate.”

  “Liam? Liam Dunn?”

  “He said he knew you. Was he your trainer, too?”

  “No, Jacques was my … what do you know about trainers?”

  “Scott told me a little. I know it’s top secret, but…”

  He laughed. “Not top secret, just not to be blabbed about. No, Liam was in France when I was trained, but I met him once. Handsome devil.”

  “He’s okay,” she shrugged.

  Hunter peered at her. “What I can’t figure is why he’s coming along.”

  “Stop it,” she snapped. “Scott said the same thing. It’s nothing. He’s being nice because Jacques is out of town, and I … well … he’s just being nice, that’s all.”

  “I guess,” he murmured.

  “Did you get the things on the list I told you to?”

  “Not all of them, most of them. Some of that stuff is pretty girlie, all that singing and prancing around…”

  “Never mind that.” She stood up. “Now, I’m going to change these damn shoes, if that’s all right with you,” she muttered. “Or maybe I’ll change the damn dress, just throw it out the window.”

  Hunter laughed as he watched her clack off down the hallway. What in hell had gotten into her?

  * * * *

  Scott wandered around the apartment. He’d forgotten that Ciel worked until nine o’clock at Mino’s tonight. He couldn’t go there and interrupt him at work. The manager would have a shit fit. Scott had gone there ten minutes early one night to wait for him, and the manager bawled Ciel out about it.

  Scott walked into the bedroom and stared at the bed. It was neatly made, which wasn’t unusual; Ciel always made the bed when he got up. He walked over and lay down on Ciel’s side. He removed the pillow and sank his face into it, trying to inhale his scent, trying to inhale him. He wished he knew how to make it all right. Ciel would walk in here now, and he could say all the right things, and then in a week, it would all come crumbling down around them again. He needed to make it through this therapy, to revisit all the places in his past he didn’t want to go, to heal himself so that he’d have something to offer Ciel besides a broken, emotional cripple of a man.

  He closed his eyes, imagining Ciel lying beside him. He sighed in contentment and drifted off to sleep.

  * * * *

  The car drove up in front of the house precisely at eight o’clock. Amanda had hired a special catering service for the evening, and they were busy in the kitchen.

  When the door bell rang, Amanda told the maid she’d get it. She stood there staring at the door just as Hunter came downstairs. “Aren’t you going to answer it?” he asked, giving her a curious look.

  “Of course I am,” she said, noting Hunter’s pale-blue leather pants and navy silk shirt, which fell open at the throat. His slightly curly dark hair was still a little damp at the bottom and fell nicely on his collar. She’d changed her dress finally because she couldn’t find the right damn shoes to go with it. She settled for a short red chiffon dress with a daring neckline and matching red heels. She’d pinned her hair up, then regretted it as she put her hand on the door knob. She should have left it down.

  “Amanda,” Hunter said again, indicating the door with a sweep of his head.

  “Yes, yes,” she said, turning the door handle and plastering a smile on her face. “Liam, Hans, please come in.” Her heart started fluttering in her chest for no damn reason the moment Liam met her gaze with those fascinating green eyes of his. The teal-blue shirt he was wearing deepened the green of his eyes, making them hypnotic. She bet he didn’t have many problems convincing his trainees to obey. As she held out her hand to him, she felt his gaze dip to her neckline. He wasn’t the first man to look at her breasts. She was amply endowed, and her breasts drew a lot of attention. Normally, it pissed her off a little, made her feel objectified, but his gaze was different. It was incredibly erotic, suggestive even, and for some reason, it was turning her on big time. After a few seconds, however, she began to feel a little naked, and she reached up and put her hand there, drawing the material together. “Good evening, Amanda.” Liam was kissing her hand now. “We’re not too early, I hope.”

  “Right on time,” she said. “Please come in.”

  Liam walked in with Hans behind him. He was dressed in tight designer jeans and a sleeveless tee-shirt. He wore a black, studded collar around his neck.

  Liam glanced at Hunter. “Hello, there. How are you, Hunter?”

  Hunter smiled. “Fine, Liam, and yourself?”

  “Fantastic.”

  “You look it,” was Hunter’s response.

  “I brought wine, and a rose for the lady,” Liam said in his wonderfully lyrical Irish accent. He bowed a little and brought his hands out from behind his back, handing her an expensive bottle of imported red wine and a matching rose. “I took off the thorns.”

  Amanda was speechless. His charm was elegant, yet somehow lascivious.

  “That was very nice of you.”

  “My pleasure. Hunter, this is Hans. What do you think?” He pulled Hans forward so that Hunter could get a better look.

  “Nice,” Hunter commented. “So far. I’d have to inspect him a little closer of course.”

  “After dinner,” Amanda said with a smile.

  “What do you think of Hunter, Hans?” He glanced at him, then repeated the same phrase in German. “An was Sie denken Hunter?”

  “Hot,” he replied deeply in his heavy accent, giving Hunter the once-over.

  Liam laughed. “Couldn’t have said it any better myself.”

  “Please come into the living room. Would you like a drink?”

  “No,” Liam said. “I don’t drink.”

  “An Irishman who doesn’t drink?” Amanda laughed. “That’s unusual.”

  “I’m not the kind of man who fits in easily with the crowd,” he said, meeting her gaze again.

  That five o’clock shadow he wore was very sexy. It reminded her a little of Ciel. They were both men with a natural sensuality. They didn’t even have to try.

  “Where is Scott?” Amanda asked Hunter discretely as they made their way to the living room.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  Amanda sighed and continued to make her way to the living room with her guests.

  * * * *

  Hunter began asking Liam a few questions about Hans after they were all settled in the living room. He was handsome enough, but very quiet, and it wasn’t only the language barrier. “He was a sex slave, you said?”

  “Yes. He had a master. Unfortunately, his master had to give him up. When he came to us, I knew he was very special, and we reserve him for very special clients.”

  “Is it just bondage or heavy S and M?”

  “Anything you want. He loves it all,” Liam replied, reaching over to ruffle some of Hans’s blond hair affectionately. “He’s a natural submissive. He loves to be ordered around. He loves to please. He’s a bottom, so…” Liam ran his eyes over Hunter. “If I remember correctly, you’re more than up for the task.”

  Hunter smiled at him and met his gaze. He remembered being given to Liam after Ramsay brought him to the Agency, and the memories were extremely pleasant ones. Even though Jacques had trained him, Liam had volunteered to try him out.