Playing for keeps, p.2
Playing for Keeps, page 2
Virin laughed, stepping back and folding his arms over his chest. "Oh, you have missed me, haven't you? I don't recall ever having gotten you to break in the lift before." He tapped his wrist-comp again; Rakesh stumbled and went to his knees as the lift wall released him. "Come and show me how you've missed me."
It was the invitation Rakesh had been waiting for; he steadied himself as well as he could with his wrists still sealed behind him, then crawled towards Virin, pressing his cheek against Virin's inner thigh, nuzzling at his crotch and feeling Virin's erection trapped behind the synth-leather. He pressed harder, and Virin's hand settled on the back of Rakesh's head; he combed his fingers through Rakesh's hair and murmured, "Up now, Kesh."
Rakesh sat back on his heels and looked up, "I'm not sure I can. My legs are shaking. I haven't felt this...undone since I was a Novice."
"I'm flattered," Virin said. He smiled and leaned down, effortlessly picking Rakesh up and steadying him on his feet; Rakesh leaned against Virin for a moment, taking long breaths and trying to reestablish Discipline. When he'd finally managed to calm himself, he nodded and heard Virin say "Control, resume." The lift shook slightly as it began to move.
"You're still not quite there, you know," Virin said, sounding amused. Rakesh smiled slightly.
"I know," he answered, very much aware of the erection prominently displayed through the thin silk of his loincloth. "It's been two months, Rin."
"I know you haven't been celibate, Taramar."
"It's not the same," Rakesh murmured, hearing the lift slowing. He shifted, taking his place behind Virin's shoulder.
"No. No, it isn't," Virin agreed as the door slid open.
Chapter Three
Entering the Floor for the first time, the noise was horrifying, especially if you didn't realize that both the lift and the lounge that overlooked this area were highly soundproofed. Novices who came on to the Floor for the very first time were always startled senseless when they first came out of the lift and heard the screams and cries of agony. But Rakesh was used to it, and had long since learned to hear the passion and pleasure beneath the pain. To others, the sounds of the Floor might be those of a torture chamber, but to Rakesh, these sounds were the sounds of home. Today, it cut through his disorientation like a knife, and helped pull him back to his center; he took three quick breaths and steadied himself even more, following Virin out of the lift and onto the Floor.
The Arena had once been just that—a sporting arena—and the Floor had been the field. It might have been any large gathering space, if not for the screams, and the vast array of torture devices that ranged from the most primitive to some technology that had been developed specifically for the Arena. There were groups of men and women in black uniforms at every station, watching, laughing, offering advice to whomever was currently working over their Collared. Some of the bystanders were attended by a White Collar of their own, and were obviously waiting their turns.
"I've some very special plans for you, Taramar," Virin called over his shoulder.
Rakesh felt a rush of excitement and started to move a little faster. He was trying to close the distance caused by Virin's longer stride when someone grabbed him from behind, and a heavy, synth-leather glove clamped down over his mouth. Startled, Rakesh tried to break free, but the black-clad arms tightened around him, and he was dragged into the shadow of one of the tall barriers that separated one station from the next.
Being pulled out of sight was enough to completely shred any traces of Discipline and send Rakesh into a mindless panic; with his wrists bound, he couldn't fight back, and his captor was taller than he—his feet barely touched the floor. This could not be happening—no one touched a Collared who was marked to another Patron! Rakesh kicked, and his heel connected hard against his captor's thigh. The man cursed, and Rakesh realized that he'd been cursing softly the entire time. Man's voice. Young sounding. Strange to Rakesh.
"Damn you, stop fighting me!" the stranger snapped. "I'm trying to warn you! Stop fighting me and listen!"
Rakesh shook his head, trying to shout around the hand still over his mouth. His collar started to pulse—Virin had noticed he was gone.
"Listen!" his captor repeated. "You're in danger. You're in grave danger. Do not leave the Arena! Do you understand me? Do not leave! You're safe here. Nowhere else. They want you...."
"Rakesh!" Virin's voice cut through the normal sounds of the Floor. "Control! Locate!"
Immediately, a bright light surrounded Rakesh and his captor as a spotlight pinpointed their location. The man cursed and pushed Rakesh away; Rakesh went flying, tumbling uncontrollably and crashing into the barrier. He lay there, gasping and shaking, hearing the commotion around him as people came running. Strong hands grabbed his shoulders, and he tensed until he recognized Virin's scent. He blinked, tossing his head to try and get his hair out of his eyes, and saw Virin looking down at him.
"Kesh?" he said softly. "Are you all right? Control, release!"
"Yes," Rakesh answered as his arms fell free. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me. Didn't even try. I... Help me up?" He pushed his hair out of his face and took Virin's hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet.
Virin's hands lingered for a moment on Rakesh's arms. Then he straightened, and Rakesh saw Virin as he was when he was in the field—a trained killer, searching for a target. A thrill went through him, and he stepped closer to Virin.
"Who was it?" Virin demanded.
Rakesh shook his head. "I... I never saw him. He grabbed me from behind. Never saw his face. I didn't know his voice."
Virin turned, pointing at several Ishkarin. "You three, fan out, find anyone new on the Floor, or anyone who seems to be in a hurry to leave. Where is Security? I want to see the surveillance video...."
"Zaan-ti-ar, stand down," another voice broke in, and Martiri Kian-ti-os pushed through the crowd. Virin stiffened, and looked as if he were about to attack when Martiri held both hands up in front of him. "I will see to this, Virin. You see to your Taramar. He's had a bad time of it. Take care of him." He looked past Virin to Rakesh. "Taramar? Are you all right?"
Rakesh took a long breath and started to work on steadying his nerves. "Yes, Kian-ti-os. Just...shaken. I'll be fine."
Martiri nodded. "Good. Virin, take him off. I'll find who did this."
"When you do, Kian-ti-os, I want him," Virin growled.
"Of course." Martiri turned away and started barking orders. Virin hesitated for a long moment, long enough that Rakesh moved to stand at his shoulder, gently touching his arm.
"If you want to join them on the hunt, I'll be fine," he murmured. "I'll go back to the Dormitory, see the medics, spend the night in meditation."
Virin snarled and turned, grabbing Rakesh around the wrist. "You're staying with me," he snapped, tugging Rakesh with him through the crowd. Then, without warning, Virin stopped. He looked over his shoulder, then turned, and for the first time, Rakesh saw Virin hesitate.
"Kesh, I need to hurt something right now. I'm angry enough that I need to tear something apart." His voice sounded almost apologetic, and he stepped closer to Rakesh and lowered his voice, "I...would rather not hurt you. Not that way. Not in anger. And I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want me now. I should have protected you from that, and I didn't."
Rakesh stared at Virin for a moment, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Rin..." he breathed. Then he stepped forward, pulled the taller man's head down and kissed him firmly on the lips. Virin coughed in surprise, then looked startled as Rakesh knelt in front of him, his eyes never leaving the Sword's.
"I serve, Zaan-ti-ar," Rakesh said softly. "I want to be with you tonight." He lowered his eyes, closing them as he crossed his wrists behind his back and whispered, "I want you to hurt me."
There was a long moment of nothing, and Rakesh wondered if he'd misjudged himself—was this really what Virin needed? Then the bands around his wrists fused together once more, and he felt a heavy hand clenching in the hair at the back of his neck. He gasped as Virin hauled him to his feet, and when the Sword looked down at him, his eyes were hard and cold; for a moment, Rakesh felt more like prey than he ever had before in his life.
It was intoxicating, and he moaned softly and swayed towards Virin, who just smiled. He turned, never releasing Rakesh, dragging him along by the hair. Stumbling after Virin, Rakesh thought for a moment that they were heading towards the whipping frames—Virin's usual favorite for working out aggression. But Virin steered Rakesh past the racks and whipping frames, towards the more advanced equipment. When he realized where they were going, Rakesh moaned, and heard Virin laugh.
"You asked for this, Taramar," Virin growled. He waved off the attendant by the neuro-disruptor. "I'll see to him myself."
Rakesh slowed, digging in his heels as Virin started forwards; the Sword turned, stepped in close and pitched his voice low, "Kesh?" It was the closest he'd come to his normal speaking voice since they'd come out of the lift.
"I'm fine," Rakesh said. "Just... I need a moment."
Virin smiled, all arrogance and teasing cold cruelty that made Rakesh want to whimper and beg for things he wasn't even sure he wanted. "All right. Take your time. Just remember, the anticipation only makes it worse."
It took Rakesh three tries before he could run through the Code without stumbling, and a fourth time before he even caught a glimmer of the calm that he'd had once possessed. Finally, he nodded and felt Virin's hand close like a vice over the back of his neck, forcing him towards the machine.
There was a reason the neuro-disruptor was empty, even on a busy night like this one; it was a delicate machine, and required specialized training and a more subtle touch than many of the Ishkarin possessed. In all his years in a Collar, Rakesh had never been subjected to the disruptor, had only ever seen the machine in use twice, and both times, it was being operated by the Ran-ti-ar, the absolute leader of the Ishkarin. Dizzy with a heady combination of fear and lust, Rakesh allowed himself to be released, only to be imprisoned in the machine's capsule, his control bands bonding to the metal walls and the insulating mask lowering itself over his head and neck, cutting off both sight and sound. There was a moment where it felt as if everything itched, as the transmitters in the capsule synced with his nervous system. Then...nothing, for what seemed like an eternity; Rakesh licked his lips and took a long breath, blowing it out slowly and starting to recite the Code once more. As he finished the third line, he heard Virin's voice in his ears, and realized there were speakers in the mask.
Level one and building.
It started as a gentle warmth, spreading out through his limbs and making him wonder what he'd been afraid of. Warmth turned to heat, an all-over heat that made Rakesh grimace and want to try to move, even though he knew full well that the heat source wasn't external. It reminded him of falling asleep in the sun as a boy, and the resulting painful sunburns. The heat grew, becoming more painful, and he gasped and tugged on the control bands, only vaguely hearing Virin's voice:
Level two and building.
Painful heat became white-hot pain, making Rakesh moan, trying to fight the bonds, trying to pull away and get away from the burning. This was like nothing he'd ever felt before, no pain he'd ever experienced. Other pain had been localized, he'd been able to focus on it, envelope it, pass through it. This pain enveloped him, consumed him, made him feel as if his skin were about to burst into flames. As he heard Virin's voice marking the change to level three, Rakesh started to scream, only to hear mocking laughter.
You asked for it. Level four and building.
Conflagration. Virin had warned him, told him that he needed to tear something apart, and Rakesh knew that was just what was being done. He was being taken apart so completely that he might never be whole again; Rakesh shrieked until his voice and his mind both failed him, passing into a twilight state where pain meant nothing, save only to stimulate his growing lust, his achingly hard cock and his desperate need for Virin's touch. He heard Virin's voice, first through the speakers, then clearly as the mask was removed. He was aware of applause, of excited chattering all around him. Then he was being picked up, put onto a stretcher, and taken...somewhere.
Chapter Four
Rakesh's next awareness was of someone massaging him, strong hands kneading at the muscles in his shoulders and back, making him moan and whimper in pleasure. He breathed, smelled Virin's musky scent, and relaxed.
"With me yet?" he heard Virin ask. He tried to answer and heard laughter. "Not yet, I see. Soon." Rakesh felt himself being rolled over onto his back, and groaned as the movement made every muscle in his body ache. Virin continued to massage him, moving his limbs and making the muscles pull and hurt. The massage changed, became simple touches, gentle and erotic, until Rakesh felt as if he were floating on pleasure. Some dreamless time later, Rakesh smiled and tried to move, only to find that he couldn't. He blinked, and noticed the blindfold for the first time. Then he noticed what Virin was doing to him.
"Rin?" he asked. "What...?"
"Ah, there you are. I was wondering when you were going to come back," Virin said.
"How... What...?" Rakesh paused, then gasped in pleasure as Virin twisted the fingers he had buried in Rakesh's ass. "Oh...!"
"How long were you out?" Virin asked. "About twenty minutes. I haven't kept exact time, though. I've been busy. What did I do? Ankle band to thigh band, wrist band to ankle band. Belt and arm bands to the table, so you're not going anywhere. Oh, and part of your loincloth for the blindfold, since I forgot to pick one up. A very nice package, and all for me." He laughed, adding another finger and making Rakesh writhe and moan. "I've wanted this for weeks, Kesh. Creator, I've missed you."
Rakesh tried to draw a full breath, tugging hard on his bonds and spreading his legs as wide as he could, hissing through the pain that every movement caused. "Rin...please...."
"I know," Virin soothed gently. "I know what you want. I've known what you've been wanting since the lift. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me not to take you there?" He slid his fingers free, trailing them up the inside of Rakesh's thigh. Rakesh whined softly, wanting to move. He could hear Virin moving, something wet-sounding, then a warm hand came to rest on his knee. "You are magnificent, Kesh."
"Rin..." Anything that Rakesh was going to say was lost in his moan as the head of Virin's cock pressed against his ass. He took a long breath and relaxed, moaning as Virin slowly filled him. He heard Virin groan, and tried to roll his hips in response. The small movement he managed still drew a gasp from Virin; he pulled out almost completely and slapped Rakesh's cock hard enough to make him yelp.
"You're not supposed to be moving, Kesh," Virin scolded. "Not unless you want this over before we've begun. I'm about to go off like a missile."
Rakesh whimpered at the thought of being left unfulfilled. "No...please, Rin...."
"Patience, Kesh," Virin whispered. He started to push in again, his hands gripping Rakesh's legs hard enough that Rakesh knew that he'd have bruises. He didn't care, wanting only to be filled, to be fucked, hard and fast, and until he screamed his throat raw. He struggled to stay still, to control himself until Virin's body was pressed hard against him and Virin was panting with effort.
"Now," Virin purred, his hands grabbing onto Rakesh's forearms. Braced, he started to move, thrusting hard against Rakesh, who howled and struggled, trying to move with Virin. He managed to shift just enough, roll his hips enough, and his howls turned to moans and gasps of pleasure, punctuated with Virin's heavy breathing and the wet slapping of their bodies as they slammed together. Virin groaned, panting out, "Control...release...release left hand."
As Rakesh's hand fell free, Virin growled, "You know what to do."
Rakesh did, ignoring the pain in his muscles as he wrapped his hand around his own cock and started pumping. It was easy to imagine that it was Rin's hand on his cock, and he moaned as Virin started pumping faster, harder, his breathing becoming more ragged. Rakesh worked his cock harder, moaning as Virin's hand covered his own, squeezing tightly.
"Mine," Virin snarled, the sound hitting Rakesh right at the base of his cock; he made a sound something between a scream and a groan and came, splattering his stomach and both his and Virin's hands. He heard Virin's groaning grow louder, more high-pitched, and his movements became sharper, harder. Then Virin collapsed over Rakesh, and Rakesh could feel his breathing, fast and hot against his neck. He turned his head and rubbed his cheek against Virin's short hair. "...love you, Rin."
"I love you, too. Crazy Collared," Virin murmured, moving off of Rakesh. "Where's my comp? Do you see... Oh...blast it all. Control, release all bands."
Rakesh groaned as his right arm and his legs fell free, and his legs fell off the edge of whatever he was laying on. He lay still for a moment, then stretched, reaching up and pulling the blindfold from his eyes. He looked around and smiled.
"On the table, Rin?"
"It was the right height. Now budge over," Virin climbed onto the table next to Rakesh and pulled him into his arms. "I mean it, Kesh. You are magnificent. When are you going to give up the Collar and be mine alone?"
Rakesh smiled, resting his head on Virin's chest, "When are you going to get promoted so you can marry me?" The question didn't elicit the usual response, the one that Rakesh expected after almost three years of the same conversation; he looked up to see Virin staring at the ceiling, his face expressionless. "Rin?"
"We could live together. Not get married. Just...live together," Virin answered softly.
"What? Rin, what's wrong?"
Virin shook his head, then looked at Rakesh. "I don't think I'm ever going to make Kian, Kesh. I was passed over again." He put his arm around Rakesh and continued, "Apparently, there's some talk about my bloodline. About how I'm not...pure enough, not enough of an Ishkarin to be a commissioned officer."
