Page 8 of Expanding Command

Were his words carefully chosen? Miles appreciated it regardless. "I would. I don't drink, but you may if you wish. Come with me to the kitchen. I'd like an orange juice after that suspension, and any light finger food you care to bring me."

"Yes, Sir." Bunny followed, not making any attempt to pull his hand from Miles's grasp as they moved past various social groups clustered in the kitchen. Then he turned, nodding towards an alcove at the end. A breakfast nook with the table removed, the banquet seat attended by two small side tables, an ottoman, and a neat pile of floor cushions. "Would it please Sir to wait for me in comfort and hold a place for us to sit?"

"It would. Thank you." He sat, watching the man move about the kitchen and trying to think past the thrumming of his heartbeat against his ears. He needed to be calm and responsible. If he were Darren, surely he'd start with at least a casual kink interview. But it was nearly impossible to think about anything but how badly he ached to touch this man again.

When Darren had told him that he had a type, Miles wasn't sure if he believed it. He'd barely considered men before Darren, and everything about Darren was unimaginably sexy. But with Bunny, it was impossible to deny that there must be things that did it for him after all.

The thrumming energy of want was even stronger than he'd felt for the young man at Folsom, perhaps because of what Miles already knew of this man. His looks very much left Miles wanting to rumple him, and that soft-yet-rumbly voice was enthralling. Bunny's dedication to his Master was beautiful, and Miles suspected he was intuitive enough to be adjusting his approach to each of them based on what he could see. He stole glances at Miles to check in as he moved past kitchen counters laden with food and drink options, then joined him with two glasses in hand and a plate balanced expertly on his arm like a waiter. "Sir."

Miles bit back a habitual invitation for the man to make himself comfortable. He was meant to be in charge. "Thank you, Bunny. Put those on that small table and bring it closer, please. Would you like to kneel at my feet? You may also choose the ottoman if you wish."

Bunny smiled as he did as he was asked, his soft, throaty voice warm with pleasure. "I would very much like to kneel at your feet, Sir. Thank you for offering."

"Good. Use a cushion." Miles resisted the urge to reach out and touch him, taking a glass and sipping the orange juice. The man's blond hair was neatly gelled in place, and despite not wishing to mess it up, it was hard not to want to stroke his fingers through it. "How old are you, Bunny? If asking is not a hard limit for you."

The man set the cushion down at his feet, settling gracefully. He knelt in beautiful form, close enough that heat radiated from his body. Taking a sip of his drink, Bunny offered the plate to him on both outstretched hands, elegant in his service. "It is not. I'm thirty-three, Sir."

Only a few years younger than him, Miles noted in relief, and a few more years younger than Darren. He took a piece of pineapple from the plate, resisting the urge to press it to Bunny's rosebud lips just for an excuse to touch them. "Have you been part of the lifestyle for long?"

"On and off, Sir," Bunny replied after consideration. "Not as often when I've been single. With a Master, frequently. With Master Raffles, we've only had the opportunity for some light exploration with others, I'm afraid." He glanced towards the windows to the backyard as if to check up on his Master, though there was no immediate sign of them. "Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, Sir. It's very kind of you and your..." he hesitated in a brief but intentional pause. "Master?"

"He is, yes."

"And you play like this, too, Sir?"

Miles paused, taking stock of his own answer. It would be easy and safe to hold his cards close to his chest... but he didn't want to. This man intrigued him and made him yearn to determine their compatibility. "We have, though our goal has always been for something more than a party. Master Red..." Miles replayed the memories of their first meeting and everything that had come from that incredible journey. "He helped me understand surrender, and how healing it could be to form that kind of bond with another person. Now that I've experienced it, I'd like to give the same gift to someone new. With my husband as my mentor, of course."

Bunny took in his words with fascination in his gaze, as if examining and cataloging them. That was very different from the young man at Folsom, along with his quiet confidence in submissiveness. It drew Miles to him. There was something comfortingly familiar about the awe and respect with which Bunny watched him. Perhaps Miles had seen other submissives do the same... or perhaps it was something enthrallingly unique only to him.

"I'm glad to hear that, Sir," he said finally. He shifted on the cushion, barely discernible, but close enough that his knee pressed against Miles's foot. It reawakened the coil of heat in the pit of Miles's stomach that he was trying very hard to bank down.

"If you'll forgive me for being so bold," Tristan murmured, holding his gaze, "I would very much like to experience that. And I would like my husband to experience that."

~~~

5 - Bunny's Desires

Miles Bennet

A sub who desires his Master to experience the bliss of surrender.

Gazing down at the man kneeling at his feet, Miles couldn't help but smile. Some doms might leap to the conclusion that Bunny was being subordinate, but he knew that wasn't so. Miles knew the strength and freedom of submission, and he was certain his potential sub did, too.

Miles took a golden raspberry from the plate, leaning forward to trace it along the man's bottom lip. "So... you'd like your Master to have a taste of his own medicine?"

Bunny's lips parted to a shivering gasp at the caress of the fruit. He held completely still, hardly breathing as Miles stroked it slowly along the curves, but the tension in his body betrayed his desire for more. Miles let the edge of his thumb brush against the softness of his bottom lip, drawing a soft moan from Bunny's throat. It sent a pulse of heat to where his leather pants grew tight. Miles's own lips tingled, aching to map their sweetness, and he forced himself to place the berry in Bunny's mouth instead.

Bunny closed his lips around it obediently. He pressed forward just enough that his lips brushed Miles's thumb as he drew it away, leaving warmth in their wake. Chewing, Bunny lowered his face, flushed. "I would, yes. Please don't mistake my words, Sir. He is so wonderful to me. A better man than I could have ever imagined. Which is why..." he paused, lips pursing in brief consideration. "Why I'd like to give him what he's given me. Why I'd like to experience his joy in discovering how amazing this can be."

It was so very in tune with what Darren wanted for him. Miles's heart twisted, and he reached to touch Bunny's face before catching himself and drawing his hand back.

Bunny shivered visibly, his lips parting with unmistakable longing. "Sir... if it pleases you...."

"It does." Miles gave in, sighing at the pleasure of Bunny pressing his cheek into his palm. It was so easy to talk to him, as if Bunny belonged at his feet. The simple contact between them made Miles wonder if his thrill of excitement was his own, or Bunny's, shared with him through that touch.

He took the plate from him and set it aside. "What would you like from this, though? For yourself, not only for your Master," he asked quietly, stroking his cheekbone under the mask. "Imagine your beloved husband being taken care of by the most expert professional. That's who my Master is. There's no one more adept in the world for what you desire for your Raffles; you won't need to ever worry about him getting what he needs. What do you need for you, sweet pet?"

A soft sigh of relief escaped Bunny's lips, his eyes closing briefly. "To get out of my head. It's so hard for me to turn off. I run a research lab for Harvard. The work is so exciting and so important, but between the weight of what we're trying to accomplish and the leadership aspect..." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Service is so easy in comparison. I need a space where all I have to think about is following instructions or anticipating what my Master needs. I need..." he wet his lips, voice growing more throaty. "I need sensation and intensity so I can turn off and stop thinking entirely."