LOGINLiamThe room was spacious and dimly lit by a single warm floor lamp in the corner. A tray with a bowl of warm soup and a glass of water sat on a low table by the window, and Julian was standing beside a heavy leather armchair near the foot of the king-sized bed, a neatly coiled length of soft black cotton rope resting on the side table beside him.My pulse gave a sharp, sudden jump at the sight of the rope, though there was no panic in it,only a strange, breathless anticipation.Julian looked up as I entered, his dark eyes sweeping over me calmly.“I’m not hungry,” I informed him, my voice barely above a whisper, thin and hollow.He gave a slow nod. “Come here, Liam.”I walked over without hesitation, stopping a few feet in front of him, my body already leaning toward the quiet gravity he radiated.“Before we begin,” Julian said, his voice low, steady, and stripped of any rush, “we set our boundaries. There is nothing sexual happening tonight. My only goal is to quiet your mind by gr
LiamInstead of turning toward the downtown district where the club was located, Julian merged onto the quiet highway leading out toward the secluded, tree-lined hills on the edge of town. I didn't ask where we were going, I trusted him. The sheer relief of not having to navigate, decide, or explain was intoxicating.Twenty minutes later, he turned onto a private gravel drive, pulling up to a sprawling, modern residence tucked behind high stone walls and thick evergreens. The house was quiet, warm, and completely detached from the chaos of the city.Julian parked inside the attached garage, killed the engine, and turned to look at me. “Come inside.”I followed him through a sleek, dimly lit mudroom and into a spacious living area dominated by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the dark woods. The silence here wasn't suffocating like my apartment, it felt more like an embrace. A calm and a protective one.Julian shrugged out of his suit jacket, draped it neatly over the back of a lea
LiamI had just finished freshening up and started dressing to go to Elias’s place when my phone rang.An unfamiliar number flashed across the screen. My stomach twisted into a tight knot, immediately fearing the worst. What if it was from the hospital? Had something happened to the baby? Oh God.“Hello,” I answered, my voice trembling slightly.“Liam,” the voice on the other end called out firmly, though I could still hear the underlying panic and that only worsened my mounting anxiety.“Devin?”“Um, yeah. hi. I have bad news. Well, it’s not that bad, I suppose, but you should know.”“Is the child okay?” I asked, my throat tightening.“Yes, yes, she’s under specialized care now, so... she’s fine.”“What is it, then?” I pressed impatiently after he had paused for too long.“Your mom. She’s been admitted.”“What?”“They took her in for psychiatric observation.”“What happened to her?”“She’s bipolar, Liam." he informed, his voice shaking. "Apparently, she knew about the diagnosis, but
LiamI was summoned to the dean’s office right after my afternoon lecture. I nervously picked at my cuticles as I made my way down the quiet administrative corridor, my stomach churning with dread.“Liam, it’s great to see you,” she greeted as I stepped inside. She paused, tilting her head as she glanced down at the open folder on her desk. “Actually, it’s not so great to see you. You know why you’re here, right?”My heart sank as I gave a small, defeated nod in reply.“You’re attending this university on a merit-based scholarship, Liam. In order to keep it, you have to maintain a strict academic standard. Looking at your recent transcripts...” She trailed off, leaving the rest for me to fill in myself.“I’ll do better,” I tried to assure her, my voice sounding thin even to my own ears.“You ought to. And to give you a little extra push, we’ve called in your patron.”I blinked. “My what?”“Your patron. The benefactor responsible for funding your tuition.” Ah. My sponsor. “They usually
LiamI pulled my knees tighter against my chest, staring down into the dark liquid of the mug.The temptation was sickening in its sweet appeal. To just lay it all down. To stop carrying Devin’s resurrection, my mother’s breaking sanity, and Elias’s ignorance on my own tearing shoulders. For a single, fleeting second, the thought of letting Julian step in and take command felt like sinking into a hot bath after freezing to death.“You make it sound so simple,” I whispered, my thumb tracing the rim of the porcelain cup. “Like turning off a light switch.”“It is simple, Liam,” Julian murmured, his gaze steady and unwavering. “The moment you step inside these walls, you don't have to carry a single thing. You follow my lead, you let me manage you, and the rest of the world ceases to exist.”A desperate breath escaped my lips. I wanted it. God, I wanted to yield so badly my bones ached with it.I set the coffee cup on the side table, my hands trembling violently. “I... I don't even know h
LiamI woke up to the faint, subtle scent of cedar and roasted coffee beans.The room was bathed in a soft, warm glow from the recessed lighting along the ceiling. I shifted under the heavy covers, realizing with a sudden jolt that I had slept for hours without waking up once. My body felt rested, but my brain instantly flooded with panic as the events of last night rushed back into my head.I sat up sharply, clutching the duvet to my chest.Julian was sitting in an armchair in the corner of the room, wearing a navy blue suit, reading through a stack of papers on his lap. Beside him on a small side table sat two fresh cups of steam-emitting coffee.The second I moved, his eyes lifted from the pages, settling on me with that same steady, unshakeable calm.“Good morning, Liam,” he said warmly, setting his papers aside. “It’s eleven a.m. You slept for nearly eight hours.”For whatever reason he seemed incredibly thrilled by my hours of sleep.I pulled my knees up to my chest, staring at
Ellias3 months laterSharp, rhythmic rapping against my bedroom door dragged me out of a dreamless, heavy sleep."Elias. Wake up. The first of the town cars are pulling into the drive."My mother’s voice was as crisp as the morning air, devoid of the tremor I’d been carrying in my own voice for nin
WilliamI took him as deep as I comfortably couldbefore pulling back up and working my tongue around the edge of his tip. Then I went low and sucked one ball into my mouth, playing with it amoment before giving the other one the same treatment. I lapped at thebase of him, working my way back up
ElliasAfter he'd drunk up and I had us cleaned up, I got in the covers next to him.He quickly shifted to the other side of the bed and stared at me with a skeptical look on his face. “What are you doing?”“Aftercare. I was going to hold you.”“Cuddle me?” he asked, cocking his head.“Yes.” “Uh-uh
WilliamHe took the blindfold off and I blinked even though the room was dimly lit. Did he say three? Was he crazy? I wasn't sure how I had survived the last one but I had no energy to fight him so I just laid there."Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?"I've never been self co







