I start a new day in a cold bed, without the expected Liam beside me. Wearily, I check the time, and it's not even seven. He didn't come back from the club last night, or if he did, he never joined me afterwards. But after what we discussed yesterday, I had the impression that there is currently no one else, though I still haven't asked him directly. Unable to sleep any longer, I quickly shower, then head downstairs without bothering to dress after drying off.

In the hallway, a delicious aroma permeates appetisingly, and I enter the kitchen, seduced by the promise of crispy bacon. Liam is standing with his back to me, naked with damp hair, beating some eggs with a fork whilst bacon sizzles away under the grill. I perch down at the counter and watch him with my head in my hand. He's got up early to cook breakfast, and I feel guilty for doubting him. It also appears that he does know how to cook, and despite being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he can take care of himself. Embarrassingly, my stomach rumbles.

"Hungry?" he asks, turning to smile at me. "Will French toast with bacon be good for you?"

"Mm-hm, that sounds delicious! Thank you."

I continue to watch him whilst he cooks, sighing at the dreamy sight. His arse is so perfectly sculpted like the rest of him. How did I get this lucky? He's sexy, fucks well, and he cooks too. A few minutes later, he places the French toast in front of me, topped with bacon and decorated with strawberries and blueberries around the edge of the plate. He picks up a glass bottle of maple syrup, and with horror, I watch him pour a generous portion over the entirety of it. I don't have the heart to tell him I don't like sweet food.

He grins, then sits next to me with his own plate. "I hope you enjoy it."

It's the most decadently rich breakfast I have ever had, and it is sickly sweet from the sheer amount of syrup swamping my plate. The bacon is every bit as good as I'd hoped, and thankfully seems to have escaped the worst of the cloying, offensive sweetness. The fat just melts in my mouth, and the explosion of flavour hits my taste buds in all the right ways that it's almost orgasmic. Liam is being incredibly kind, which seems quite suspicious.

"That was tasty, Liam," I say, leaning my head against his arm, which has a freshly showered scent. I'll risk the punishment for touching him, but right now I need the contact after missing him through the night. "What time did you get back?"

He shoves me away, not answering, but disappointingly, that appears to be it. We haven't had sex since fucking in the garden yesterday, and I want to go for another round immediately. I don't even know why I was so nervous around him. He's placid half of the time, and everything we have done so far has felt incredible.

I stand up to put the plates and cutlery in the dishwasher, but Liam's hand reaches out to me. His grip tightens on my wrist painfully, and he pulls me in for a kiss. It's firm, rough and forceful as he maintains the squeeze of his hand upon me.

"Get on your hands and knees." I kneel down before him at his order, trembling with excitement. He's caught me out this time with his sudden change, and his eyes glisten with intent as he glares down at me. It's an assertive, commanding expression that makes me weak, and I cast my eyes downwards, knowing he isn't to be trifled with right now. "You've never had a cock in your mouth, have you, Lover? Answer me."

"No, Master!" I gulp.

"Look at me!" I glance back up at him, feeling nervous. He pulls open a drawer, removes a camera and my collar, which he'd hidden there, and it becomes rapidly apparent that this has been planned in advance. He fastens my collar around my neck, then he switches on the camera and intrusively points it towards me. "You seemed extremely eager for this on Friday, so I'm going to film your first time doing it."

I'm shy knowing he's recording this, and I turn away coyly from the lens in my face. My reluctance is quickly noted as I don't acknowledge his order. Liam strikes me across the cheeks with a hard slap that stings and awakens my desire to please him. He has never struck me in this way before.

"Look at me! Do as you're ordered, slut!"

He's never called me that either, and I'm not sure if I like the change, but I'm enjoying the control he is exerting over me. I may be in trouble for showing some of my bratty behaviour, but I don't feel bad about pushing back. This is new, and I want to discover the boundaries of what I'm allowed to do. Keeping him on his toes was actively encouraged.

His hand runs through my hair, then tugs firmly. He's looking down at me with his piercing gaze, and my heart quickens. I stop hesitating and take him into my mouth, licking him up the shaft, then teasing the head enthusiastically. My hand strokes the rest of his cock, not wanting to leave any part of it untouched and unappreciated. His hold on me increases, and he shoves himself further into my mouth, so I'm taking the entirety of his length.

He maintains eye contact, but his eyes become softer as I continue to pleasure him. I swirl my tongue around the bulbous tip and use my tongue piercing to flick against him before moving down his shaft again. His breath is laboured as he gets close, and I think he's enjoying what I'm doing as he starts to thrust and fucks my mouth, becoming more vocal. I'm proving myself useful, and I feel a sense of achievement for pleasing my Master in the way that he wants. I hope he uses me like this again soon so I can learn how to improve for him.

With a noisy groan, he spills into my mouth, flooding me with a generous quantity of his hot and salty fluid. His hand then clamps over my mouth, preventing me from doing anything other than swallowing. I gulp it back, and his eyes widen. My Master appears to be satisfied with me. I've been a good sub.

"Go to the playroom and await me there!"

I scramble off my knees and run past Janet, standing in the kitchen doorway with a basket of washing. An unusual look is on her face as if she had got off on what she had witnessed. Whether that was planned or not, or a perk of her job, I dare not ask.

I reach the playroom and kneel on the wooden floor obediently, wondering what he is going to do next. We haven't been near this room, filled with his various tools, all weekend, so I'm highly eager to satisfy my Master's needs.

He keeps me waiting for some time to the point I begin wondering whether he's forgotten about me or he's decided to punish me with denial instead. When he eventually enters the room, I bow my head to the floor, not making eye contact because he hasn't given me permission to look at him. His fingers rake through my hair and drag across my back sharply as he walks past me.

I hear a clunk as something metallic is removed from the rack near me.

Rubberised cuffs are then tightened around my ankles, and I'm shackled to the floor with chains, with limited movement. My wrists are then bound behind my back, preventing me from using them. I await whatever he has planned for me with a rapidly growing erection, awash with thoughts of him pummelling my arse.

He applies lube to me liberally, using his fingers to push it deep, then smearing it around my pucker. Already turned on, with the light stimulation from this alone, I cannot hold back the gasp of pleasure rising within me.

"Hold it together... I haven't even begun my fun yet. Now use your hand signal when you need it," he says, standing behind me to tie a blindfold over my eyes.

I'm unafraid despite my vulnerability. Moments after, I hear the buzzing sound, like a tattoo gun, I've become accustomed to powering up. He is going to use the violet wand again, and my excitement increases further, prickling every nerve along my skin.

I can't see what attachment he's planned to use on me, but I feel a pleasurable flurry of sensation pass over my shoulders and down my spine. It tingles up my left leg next, tickles over the curves of my arse, and down the other limb, bristling the follicles with the peculiar static. The crackling continues up my inner leg, where the skin is tender and sexually more arousing. I find myself twitching as he edges closer towards my most sensitive areas, and I let out a gasp of surprise as the shocks stimulate me further.

The stimulation is divine, and I continue to gasp out as he strokes over me with whatever he's holding that's crackling with electricity. None of what he's doing hurts me, other than a static-like zing which then glides over my balls, never stopping in its movement, before brushing back along my shaft.

Through a gap in the blindfold, I catch a glimpse of something that looks like a dildo, glowing red as it roams between my legs to the front of my thighs. I can only imagine it's a probe of some kind. I bite my lip as I envision those purple sparks being used somewhere else, violating me while he strokes over my tensing stomach. I'm then jolted back to reality as he zaps my pierced nipple with a searing flash of agony.

"Ugh... fuck."

It's the first time I've uttered anything, and my Master lets out a snicker while using the electrode to torture my other nipple. "Mm, I love seeing you squirm in pain. I wonder how well you'll handle what comes next."

He removes the blindfold, fully revealing the switched-off wand, almost as if he's warning me that this is a time to back out. With a flared end piece, not particularly girthy, but clinical in appearance, there is no doubt what this is for. The electricity crackles back on again and arcs towards my piercing as he brings it closer. Right now, I wish I had a Prince Albert and not just my frenulum piercing, as a delicious wave of strong shocks grips me and makes me twitch with pain.

"Ah, Master..." I gasp, unable to remain quiet from the intense zap.

"So you're enjoying it, my dirty pain slut?"

"Yes! Ahh, fuck!"

He switches it off and moves back behind me. His hand is at the back of my neck, and he forces me down with ease with his strength, so my head is pressed against the wooden floor. Two lubricated fingers are shoved inside, and roughly he strokes me, opening me up for what happens next. Suddenly, I feel the smooth, cold glass make contact with my sphincter, and I let out a moan as I am stimulated further as he switches it back on.

This sensation quickly becomes torturous as he continues to use the tapered end to circle around my slippery entrance over and over. It dips along a ticklish line, trailing back on my swollen sacks before repeating.

"Please, just put it in!" I want to beg him. My curiosity is more than piqued at how it'll feel, and this anticipation is akin to the torture of denial. I can already feel the cool wetness from my cock dribbling in urgency. "Hurt me... Fuck me... Do it all to me!"

As if sensing my desperate plea, I feel more of the silky lubricant being applied before the thrumming probe plunges in. It slides inside gradually, hard and unyielding despite my eagerness, and the mild shocks tingling against my flesh ramp up. This sudden change towards the sharper, painful sensations has me jolting within my restraints.

"Good? Do you love it when I do things like this?" he says, chuckling loudly.

"Yes, Master! Fuck, yes!" I groan with need for him.

I completely open up, relaxing my muscles as much as I can, wanting to feel it deeper while he continues his domination. It slides in a little more, and the unusual, warm, vibrating sensation is incredible. It's strong but not overly painful for me to the point of needing to stop. I release another moan for him as it continues to send a wave of flicking shocks.

He withdraws the probe too soon. "So, Lover-boy. Want me to show you a whole new world of fun?"

"Yes! Yes, please, Master," I utter. I'm so close to orgasm from this alone.

He kneels beside me, showing me the implement again, but this time he rolls a condom over it, then another. I have no idea what this does, but I'm sure I want it. "This might feel intense. Does my little slut think he can handle it?"

"Yes, Master!"

He grins smugly, pleased that I have no intention of stopping his fun. The wave that follows this time is powerful. As he uses it inside of me, my pleasure rises tenfold, and I feel delirious as it stimulates me in all the right ways that make me feel like the dirty little pain slut that I am. I begin to moan audibly, overcome by the fizzing sensation assaulting my tunnel and drool in my increasing turmoil.

"You seem to be getting off on this," he chuckles.

"Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Ohhh, fuck!" I moan as the intensity ramps up again, like snapping elastic bands. I barely have a moment to gasp for breath. "Ugh!"

My arse feels like it's being ravaged as my muscles spasm rhythmically around the dialator. I'm not sure if I'm being pleasured or purely tortured as the sensations consume me to the point I can barely keep my eyes open while I throatily groan through the throbbing agony. I shift my focus to the floorboards for a notch to lock onto, trying to remain grounded.

I scarcely hear him speak through my heavy moans, fully surrendering to his will and the surges ramping up. "Are we still good?"

"Mm-hm...Uhh..." I reassure him with a light nod, the most I can muster given the circumstances.

The sharp crackling grows gentler again and strokes in rhythm along my core before returning once more to twirl over my entrance. Relaxing to the calmer champagne-like fizzing, intense pleasure builds back within me, and my toes curl with ecstatic bliss. I could soar through the sky on this high, as he allows me this moment of respite, cushioned by a surge of endorphins.

"Mm, I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. Now moan for me as much as needed, but you're not allowed to cum yet... I want to hear those sweet cries as I break you in first."

Liam resumes thrusting deep. I feel utterly annihilated as he kicks it back up several notches on the dial, indicated by the noisier, incessant hum and crackling. My thighs, already shaking from the ordeal, grow weaker under the increasing stress. "Fuck.... M-master, ngh."

I can barely sustain the assault jolting my cavern as my Master claims it as his little bitch, making me mewl incoherently. Immediately, I try visualisation, drawing my mind back to the memory of his garden, like a beautiful watercolour. The scent of his fresh sweat-dewed skin when he held me with adoration in his eyes, and the implicit trust and respect I hold in my heart towards him.

I can do this... Another hill or two before I deserve the release.

The pain subsides in a brief plateau as he reduces the intensity to focus the tool along the inner wall of my prostate. Rescue breaths are the only method I have in my arsenal to get me through this. It takes every ounce of willpower, clenching my teeth and deep breathing to fight the urge to instantly cum as the pleasure-pain divide fully overlaps.

He pulls me upwards onto my knees with a hand yanking at my collar. My muscles are still trembling, and I feel weak as he continues the assault inside my thoroughly abused derriere. This close to ecstasy, the forceful contractions of my rectum clenching around his fuckstick-of-pain push me higher still, and I close my eyes. I barely register his demand to release.

The animalistic sound that erupts from me isn't a sound I've ever elicited before, as sheer euphoria takes over me. The growl fills the room as a ribbon of my desire is unleashed across the floor beneath. I'm floating.

I try to use my hand signal to warn him, but I have no idea if I'm even in control of any of my limbs right now as I exist outside of my physical reality. I no longer feel the bonds that are holding me down. I'm soaring, high above the thunderstorm I can smell coming in. Did I just die?

"Matthew?" I hear beside me.

I open my eyes and see the concerned face of a beautiful angel next to me. I laugh hysterically as I inexplicably start weeping.

He lifts me into his arms and kisses me ardently. I bury my face into his lusciously soft, gleaming blonde hair as he spreads my legs apart and presses me against silk sheets. I think he's making love to me as I hear my name being cried out over and over again in increasing urgency.

I wake to the feeling of someone snuggled into my back and strong arms wrapped around my waist. It may have been only minutes or barely an hour since we finished copulating, but I feel well-rested. I roll over and see my Liam, sleeping peacefully, and my heart fills with gentle adoration for him.

My hand traces the contours of his firm abdominal muscles, then moves up to his chest, which bears nail marks. I never in a million years would have expected myself with someone like him. I've never craved physical contact this much. His body is perfection.

His eyes flutter open, disturbed by my hand, which has wandered towards stroking his cheek but hasn't quite touched. I fully expect to be forced away, but instead, he nuzzles into my fingers and smiles. His eyes appear warm and non-predatory beneath the gentle lamp-light glow.

"You seem incapable of keeping your hands off me," he teases. "In fact, you seemed extremely affectionate towards me?"

"Did it seem that way? I guess I'm just a little out of it from that rush coming in."

"You were calling me your guardian angel and to keep making love to you. I've never met one to become so amorous," he murmurs, glancing down at the multiple scratches carved upon his normally flawless skin. "It stung... Mm, maybe I should punish you for it?"

"Or is it that I find my Master too desirable? I'll take the punishment and then do it again," I reply, grinning.

He kisses my hand, then pushes me away from him with a sigh. "You're both the worst and best submissive that I have ever met. We'll have to work on it."

I roll onto my front, watching him dress into a navy blue robe, to my dismay. I would like nothing more than to make it up to him for my transgression of getting too handsy. "Well, unfortunately for you, a spanking isn't much of a deterrent. I just love it too much."

"Then, it's a good thing I have other methods to deal with someone like you. Ones I know you won't enjoy so much, but I'll enjoy immensely. By the way, I made plans for the next event earlier. You're attending as my submissive, and James is inviting several new guests, so I'm hopeful there may be someone suitable for us. You won't get jealous if I play with another, I presume?"

The idea of him being with someone else comes back to the forefront of my mind. I don't hesitate to say what I want, needing clarity. "As I've said before, I'd prefer to have my Master all to myself. You're all I need, and I wish I were yours... Is there already someone else?"

His attention, which has fallen to tidying his equipment still scattered around the room, switches back towards me. He appears startled by the admission, then sits back on the bed to hold my hand within his. "Are you worried I will shower our third with affection? If you continue to please me the way you do, then you'll remain my favourite, okay? Only my favourite will get to sleep in my bed with me like this."

It's clear he skirted around it, and I sniff back my dismay. "Then, I will try my hardest to not displease you in some way, Master."

"So we have a deal?" Liam's eyes darken. "I know I mentioned it, but how many times can you cum by the way?"

"Huh? Why are you asking me that?"

Liam rolls on top of me and cuffs my hands down to the bedposts with a mischievous glint in his eye. His robe unfastens as he kneels, so it curtains around me.

"Because you're going to spend the rest of the day forced to orgasm. Try to not safe out," he replies, smirking at me.

-------

It's already nighttime when he finishes with me. Forced to orgasm in various ways with most of his toys, my body is now a shuddering mess, sticky with my own cum and sweat, so I'm left feeling weary all over. The only time he allowed me a break was when he fed me soup by spoon. I thought once I could only achieve a dry orgasm, he'd get bored, but he didn't let up in his intensity and instead took it as an extra challenge. It doesn't seem to just be about pain with him, but a necessity to push my body and stamina to its absolute limit of what is humanly possible.

"Only twelve... I wonder if we can get more next time," he muses as my hand opens and closes in succession. He yanks the gag from my mouth, then kisses me passionately as he cuddles into me again. I'm completely shattered, so I close my eyes in desperation for sleep.

I wake back up in a blind panic, stumbling out of bed, and swearing as I hurt my toes on the caltrop-like nipple clamps strewn on the ground. I meant to go home last night, and I have to be at work in a few minutes. There's no doubt about it that my dad is going to go ballistic. It's ridiculous to have a curfew at nineteen, but it's a rule he stipulated for living under his roof after my incident in December, especially after paying out for the damage I caused to Charlotte's house.

"Shit! Oh fuck, fuck, fuck!" I yell, dashing around the room looking for my clothes.

Liam sits up and watches lazily from the bed whilst I desperately try to find my clothes. I can't for the life of me remember where they are. I don't even remember being dressed in anything more than some swimming trunks this entire weekend. I scramble on my hands and knees to check under the bed.

"Do you have to be this loud in the morning, or should I at least give you something to be yelling about? What are you even looking for?"

"My clothes! What happened to my clothes?"

"Oh. I don't know..." he smiles knowingly as he lifts back the covers. "Come back to bed, and we'll worry about it later."

"When you abducted me, please say you remembered to bring them back with you?"

He creases up, with it finally hitting me. "Hahaha! Do you think I was thinking about that at the time? I was living in the moment... I originally planned to tie you up in there all weekend."

"I have work, Liam, and my dad is going to go crazy, especially if I turn up naked!" I reply snarkily. "I need this job, and it's bad enough that I'm going to be late as it is—I don't know where I'll start explaining."

Liam groans, then climbs out of bed and strolls out of the room. "Follow!"

In his other bedroom, he opens the closet and removes a pale blue shirt, a pair of jeans and some trainers which he chucks at me. They're going to be huge with me being a slighter build, but it's better than the alternative.

"Oh, you're a lifesaver, Liam. Thank you!" I could kiss him, but I don't have the time to be punished right now for touching without permission.

"Your phone and keys are on the sideboard downstairs. Quickly shower, then I'll drop you off," he replies.

I arrive just in time to open the shop before my brother is due to turn up, but it's still almost forty minutes later than I should be. Liam unexpectedly decides to come in, saying he has nothing better to do with his time, but I know it's just him being curious about my work. I don't have the heart to tell him I'm not ready to broach the subject about us with my family yet.

My brother arrives five minutes late himself and shoots me a dirty look. Nothing different to what I'm used to, and I flip open the nearest PC magazine, hoping to avoid the big elephant in the room. He begins to head out back to the stock room, but pauses when he sees Liam browsing the shelves and turns around, incensed. "Oi, is that who I think it is?"

"I don't know. Who do you think he is?" I reply, feigning ignorance even though I know exactly what he means by it. "He's just someone who came in."

"Don't play dumb with me... Everyone's saying you're gay for pay with that photo circulating on the old forum page. Dad went fucking mental."

"Shit!" I'd forgotten about the image, but it was only a matter of time before the news reached my dad. "You honestly think I'd only do that for money? If that is how little you think of me, then you really don't know me. Yeah, I'm fucking him, but I've always been bisexual, and felt like I had to suppress everything I feel for years."

John grimaces, plainly not comfortable with the idea, but this was the whole reason why I kept my mouth shut until now. My family's outdated views did little for my self-esteem once my mother passed away, and she couldn't shield me from the worst of it. Labelled as weak and not manly enough with my various interests over the years, I've always felt disconnected and insecure.

"I really didn't need to hear you say it like that. Do you know how many people from our old school have contacted me asking if it's true? I called bullshit and was told to look at the page, and saw that."

"You just sound jealous I'm getting laid all weekend when you're not. How long has it been for you? Eight months?" I taunt in retaliation.

"Nine and that's your fault for fucking my girlfriend!"

"Well, it's your fault for leaving her unsatisfied, so she felt like she had to come to the better brother. And you know she's not the only one."

"Fuck you!" He hits the counter with his fist, and his face contorts in anger. "I swear I'll beat the shit out of you again and break both your damn legs! It's no fucking surprise that she ditched you for someone else."

"You only beat me because I let you. Seemed fair given the circumstances."

John storms out the back, knocking some boxes off the shelves as he goes past. He then slams the door behind him. I shouldn't have done it and lowered myself to that level, but I'm in a bad mood and hungry. I rest my head in my hands as I try to decide whether to apologise. I also need to deal with my dad, which I'm terrified about.

I glance over at Liam, who's begun laughing, momentarily forgetting that this started because he decided to come in. At least someone is in a good mood despite it being at my expense. Eventually, he picks up some stuff and brings it over to purchase.

He lays everything out in a line. "So you fucked your brother's girlfriend, did you? That's an astonishing lack of morals there."

"I didn't care at the time. I honestly didn't care if we'd get caught when it happened. If anything, I stopped John from making the biggest mistake of his life because she wasn't worth it. The promise of marriage doesn't mean shit anyway."

I glance at what he's placed on the counter; it's an assortment of different cables and cable ties. Something tells me these aren't for a computer. He opens his black leather wallet and hands me a fifty. "Keep the change and treat yourself, my sweet."

"So, what kind of computer are you building?" I joke, trying to break the ice after what he just witnessed.

"Come to my house on Wednesday, and I'll show you my hardware," he winks.

The joke is bad, like terribly bad. "Wow..."

"Unoriginal?"

"Yep!"

I burst into laughter, unable to hold it in any longer. Liam isn't always terrifying, and he can be funny and just like a regular person at times. I feel disappointed that the weekend is over. He may be responsible for the photo, but I couldn't blame him for my family. Regardless of what my dad says when I inevitably see him next, I won't stop seeing him.

"Matthew..." His eyes darken, and I become aware of his face close to mine. My heart skips a beat. "Do you still think you love me?"

I feel flustered by being put on the spot this suddenly. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Is it lust you feel towards me, or do you actually think you're falling for me? ...You know what, don't worry about it."

He gathers up the items and leaves without another word or a goodbye kiss. I'm left feeling conflicted by his question. We have only started seeing each other, but is it possible to develop feelings this quick? I embarrassed myself when I said it accidentally on Saturday, but I can't imagine wanting to spend time with anyone else now. The thought of him consumes me throughout the day and night, regardless of whether he's near or not.

Maybe this is some kind of mind game to torture me until he sees me next? Or is he worried about his own feelings and wants to know if I am in the same state of confusion as him? He could just as easily be testing me to make sure I'm not going to fall in love with him. I don't know what I should think when I don't know what it would mean for my future. Can I have a relationship like this every single day for the rest of my life with someone like him? What about this other person he wants to add? Where will they fit in? I had been happy to wait and discover what our relationship meant along the way, but I don't think I can just leave it at that.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and tap out the message. "Let's talk about this tonight. Dinner?"

My phone starts ringing, and I answer it immediately, but it isn't Liam on the other end. It's my dad, and my hand quivers with fear. Until now, he's barely said a word towards me, instead silently judging me with his eyes since he found Louise's scrunched-up note.

"John told me you're at the shop. Get the fuck home right now!" he snarls at me.

He's mad, and he hangs up before I can say a word. Until now, he's barely said a word to me, instead judging me with harsh eyes since he found Louise's scrunched-up note. But I overheard the hushed words he had behind the door with the doctors telling them to fix me up. He never wanted me to come home, demanding that I be kept longer. Everything is telling me to run, and I've done ridiculous things before to prevent this moment from happening, but I need to confront him. I can't go on living like this any longer, and if it means burning this bridge, then so be it.

-----

Two hours later, I'm in my car with most of my stuff piled on the backseat, parked up, blasting music. I have no idea where to go from here. My father had given me an ultimatum: abide by his rules or get out. Surprisingly, it wasn't the fact that I'd been with a man that had pushed him over the edge, but the fact I had chosen to embark on another relationship with a sadist.

As far as he's concerned, I should have waited quietly for Louise to come back, but then angry words that couldn't be taken back had been exchanged between us. He'd called me sick for what I had allowed another to do to my body, despite it being consensual and threatened to have me locked away again, with it being a cry for help. He'd then said it was my fault I had lost his grandchild. That I had forced Louise away with my unhealthy perversions, never took my commitment to being a father seriously and then tempers flared, so he ended up taking a swing at me. I'd chosen the option to leave. I don't want to bring my problems to Liam, though.

I now need another job. Bar work is a possibility, and I have some experience, but the pay isn't good. It would also affect my availability for Liam, which may inconvenience him. I rest my head on my arms, folded across my steering wheel, trying to work through my limited options. I'm going around in circles, knowing that for the foreseeable future, I'm probably living out of my car.

My phone begins to ring, so I switch off the music and answer, irritated by the interruption. "Yeah, what is it?"

"It's Liam. Is this a bad time?"

I'm confused, wondering why he is calling me at a time like this, but then I remember I had asked him out for dinner. It had completely slipped my mind with everything else going on, and I'm going to need to take a rain check. "Hi! Sorry, I was a bit distracted."

"Distracted? You should give me your full attention when I speak to you."

"I know, I'm sorry, but I just have a lot going on right now. My dad wasn't happy, and we had a fight. It doesn't matter."

I hear him draw in a sharp intake of breath. "Right, come to mine," he replies, then hangs up.

I arrive at his home half an hour later, as ordered, but I really don't want to take advantage of his hospitality. I ring the doorbell reluctantly, and Janet lets me in. She tells me he's in the garden, so I walk straight through.

I don't see him near the orangery, so I run across the lawn and up the slope. I find him sitting on the wooden bench, with his shirt undone and the sleeves rolled up, bouncing a tennis ball. I thought I had it bad today, but he seems dishevelled compared to his earlier immaculate appearance. I join him on the bench without a word.

"So your father is angry?" he asks simply. "Mine too. And my mother... My parents called me to say I've been disinherited. Somebody informed them about the parties, and now they're not giving me a penny. I have the house, but that's it."

I strongly suspect the culprit is Charlotte. She had already led Louise to an enormous cache of photos and videos, which had caused her to ultimately cheat on me. Liam shouldn't have antagonised her. Still, it's me she's hung up on, so again it revolves back to me and my poor decision-making.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Liam. I wish I could help," I sigh, knowing I'm powerless and can only listen. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Well, your day doesn't seem much better than mine. Did he give you that black eye?" he asks, looking at me in concern.

"Yeah, but don't worry about me," I dismiss, not wanting to talk about my father.

His hand brushes my face with tenderness. "He chucked you out, didn't he? Move in with me. I can keep you safe."

"I don't want to take advantage... And we should talk about our relationship first before we rush into anything drastic. You asked me whether I loved you this morning."

"Then I told you to forget it because it's a stupid question. Matt, you are my partner, I want you to move in with me and dedicate yourself to being my submissive," he insists. "What we are further than that doesn't matter."

"Doing this twenty-four-seven? Is that possible?"

"Yes. You can live here, and gradually you will learn how to please me. We'll never have to worry about what others think again, either. What do you say?"

I consider what I'm hearing. The last thing I had planned to do was become dependent on someone, but there is a massive appeal in becoming his full-time fuck toy. The alternative of living out of my car until I'm able to stand on my own two feet isn't as enticing. It could be fun to give him control over my life for a bit.

"Okay, Master. What would you like me to do first?" I smile, kneeling before him.