They settled on a hotel by the airport and were in their room less than thirty minutes after the plane landed. Martin set up a laptop while Danny called Jack to let him know they were settled in at the hotel, then Martin logged onto the internet and connected to work. Within minutes they were taking turns looking at Chris's credit card information. Martin felt a surge of hope as he saw that there had been a charge made at Lairs Delights that morning. It might not have been much, but it at least narrowed down the time of Chris's disappearance. Jack told them that the shop had given them the security tapes for Tuesday and that morning, and he had already started to look through them. He also told them to call back if they found something interesting in the credit card records, and that he'd call them in the morning if they had any further leads from Chris's visit to the shop.
Martin was reading over Danny's shoulder when he suddenly yawned. "Sorry. I think my day is catching up to me."
"Up early again? You know, if you'd consider not running every day, then you might be able to sleep in a time or two," Danny teased as he turned his head to look at Martin.
Martin grinned. "You've got a good idea there. I think I'll take a pass on running later this morning."
Danny chuckled. "Why don't you go on and get ready for bed while I finish with this page? It'll take us all the way back to Sunday, which is when Larabee arrived in New York. If Jack wants further back than that, then he can have Viv or Samantha tackle the records."
"Sounds good to me." Martin went to the drawer that he'd claimed and pulled out a T-shirt and sweatpants, then headed for the bathroom where he'd already stowed the bag with his personal gear.
Once the door was shut, Martin began to strip off the rest of his clothing. He'd removed his suit jacket, shirt and tie earlier, and had been wearing just an undershirt and his suit pants while working, as had Danny. They didn't know how long they'd have to spend in Denver, and might need those shirts one more time, so it made sense to get them on hangers so the wrinkles could straighten out.
As Martin reached for his toothbrush, he caught sight of himself in the large mirror, and he paused as he looked at the various bruises and bite marks that Chris had left on his body. Martin's fingers lightly grazed each bruise, recalling when most of them were received. There were a few though, that he didn't remember, either because he was too caught up in what they were doing, or too far gone to notice any additional pain. His fingers lingered over the marks around his nipples, reminders of the alligator teeth clamps that Chris had bought for them. Martin smiled slightly as he remembered the look on Chris's face Tuesday evening when he'd arrived at the hotel room.
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Martin hesitated in front of Chris's door, the keycard in his hand. That morning, Chris had given him the key for the room, telling him that he could just let himself in whenever he arrived. Chris had sounded sincere, but he couldn't help but wonder if the man had really meant his words. What if he let himself in only to discover that Chris was with someone else and upset at being interrupted? Or what if Chris expected him to knock first?
Going back over that morning, Martin couldn't see where Chris's words could be interpreted in any other way. Taking a deep breath, he inserted the key, then jerked it back out of the lock as the light turned green, signaling that the lock was open. Martin turned the handle and stepped into the room, letting the door close behind him.
Chris was on the other side of the room, seated in the arm chair by the window. He looked at ease, and yet Martin couldn't shake the feeling that Chris also seemed to be expecting something as they looked at one another. And then he remembered the rest of Chris's instructions from that morning. He was to let himself in, lock the door and then strip, putting his clothes in the closet since it was directly by the door.
Martin turned to secure the door, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Turning back around, he toed off his shoes, then he pushed open the sliding door of the closet and placed them on the floor. His jacket was next, placed on a hanger before he removed his T-shirt. That was folded and put on the shelf. He then unbuttoned his jeans and slipped them off, folding them as well and putting them with his T-shirt. Naked, he closed the door, catching sight of himself in the mirrored surface. He'd left work and rushed home, showering quickly and then changing into comfortable clothing, even though he knew he wouldn't be wearing it for long. The cool air of the room wafted across his bare skin, an eruption of goose bumps following the touch. Chris liked to keep the room's temperature a little cooler, since once they started 'playing', things would heat up fast enough, and in more ways than one.
Looking up, Martin saw that Chris was smiling, and there was a bag on the floor in front of him. He smiled too as he recognized the bag as being from Lairs Delights. It looked as if Chris had been serious about wanting to purchase some toys for them to enjoy.
Remembering his place, he lowered his gaze to the floor and moved his legs slightly apart, then clasped his hands behind his back, assuming a classic pose of submission as he displayed himself for Chris and waited for orders on what to do next.
Martin didn't have to wait long.
"On your hands and knees," Chris said, his voice low. One thing that he had noticed when they first met was that Chris didn't need to raise his voice to be obeyed. It was as if the man expected anything he wanted to happen immediately and without question, so raising his voice simply wasn't necessary.
Martin dropped to his knees and stretched out a bit, distributing his weight between his knees and palms.
"Come to me."
Martin moved slowly toward Chris, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Taking deep breaths, he soon calmed his racing pulse. He came to a stop as the bottom of the bag entered his range of vision. Remaining on all fours, he waited for Chris, all of his senses focused on the man seated before him.
Martin heard Chris reach into the bag, removing something. "Sit back," Chris ordered.
Martin sat back on his heels and rested his hands on his knees. He wanted so badly to look to see what Chris had bought, but he knew that looking without being given the okay to do so was something that would earn him a true punishment instead of the discipline that he liked. It was an internal battle of wills, but he managed to keep his gaze trained on the carpet in front of him.
Winning that battle earned him another victory when he felt Chris's fingers under his chin, directing him to look up. Chris smiled at him, and he couldn't help but feel warm inside at the obvious approval he saw in Chris's eyes. Chris's fingers remained under Martin's chin, but he moved his other hand into view, letting him see the short leather thong that he held. His cock throbbed as he easily imagined Chris securing that bit of leather around the base of his cock and balls, more or less preventing him from coming until Chris wanted him to come.
A cock ring had been one of the things that they'd talked about the night before. Other 'toys' that he had confessed to enjoying had included nipple clamps, whips and paddles, restraints, and blindfolds. All were things that Chris liked using, and he had confessed to knowing how to wield a whip effectively, to bring pain and pleasure, yet draw no blood. He risked a quick glance at the bag, trying to gauge if it was large enough to hold a whip or paddle and wondering just what else Chris had bought.
A chuckle from Chris made him look back at the man, knowing that he'd been caught. "Patience, Martin, patience. I intend to use each and every thing that's in that bag tonight." Chris's fingers tightened slightly on Martin's chin, but then Chris turned his hand so that Martin's chin was cupped in the palm of his hand, and Chris lightly stroked his fingers over Martin's cheek. He couldn't help but push his face toward that touch, and he slowly extended his tongue to softly lick at Chris's skin.
"You're such a beautiful slut, Martin. So expressive, so eager. And tonight, you're all mine." Chris sighed lightly, but kept stroking Martin's skin. "What do you want, Martin? Do you want me to put this on you, or do you want to see what else is in the bag first?"
God, he hated it when he felt so damn needy and was forced to make a choice between one good thing and another. One reason behind putting his pleasure into the hands of another was to avoid having to make any kind of a decision, but Chris wasn't having any of that. From the first moment they met, Chris had led things, but had also insisted on having Martin make choices along the way. Even being put on display in front of the waiter had been ultimately left up to him, and he knew that if he'd have told Chris that he wasn't comfortable with that, then Chris wouldn't have allowed that waiter to see one inch of him. But, Lord it had been so damn hot to be sucking Chris's cock and knowing that that waiter was watching him the entire time, wishing that it was his cock being sucked.
"Martin? I asked you a question." Chris looked amused at how long it was taking him to answer, but his fingers once more tightened against Martin's face.
"The cock ring, sir. I can be patient and wait to see what else you bought for our pleasure." So the choice hadn't been that difficult after all, and he was rewarded by having those wonderful fingers resume their stroking.
"Excellent choice. There's just one problem with it. You're hard, and it needs to go on when your cock is soft."
Chris placed the cock ring on the side table, and then moved the bag to one side. Sitting back, Chris gazed intently at him. "Play with yourself, Martin. I want to watch you make yourself come."
Martin obediently reached down and began to stroke his cock. He'd done this once already in front of Chris and knew that Chris would soon be directing him to do more than just stoke himself. Chris liked a good show, and Martin had no qualms about giving him one. Martin moaned softly as his hand moved over the heated flesh of his erection. While he would have much preferred Chris's hand against his cock, Martin had always enjoyed jerking off, even more so with an audience. It was so easy to imagine that it was someone else's hands on him, Danny's hands… No. He opened his eyes and looked straight at Chris, chasing away all images of Danny Taylor from his mind. Danny was for when he needed to fantasize, needed to pretend that they could ever be something more than co-workers or friends. He didn't need images of Danny right now, not with Chris sitting there, his own cock hard behind the dark blue jeans he was wearing.
Chris held his hand up, palm side out, silently directing him to stop. He did, even removing his hand from his cock. Chris reached into the bag and withdrew a package. The front of the package was facing Chris, so Martin didn't know what was in it, but judging from the size, he guessed that it was a set of nipple clamps. Restraints came in much larger packages, and so did whips, except for the very smallest ones meant to be used on the cock and balls.
"This should help you out," Chris said as he tore open the package and let the contents spill onto his lap. After tossing the empty packaging back into the bag, Chris reached into his lap and help up two nipple clamps. He held them out to Martin. "Put these on."
Martin hesitated slightly before reaching out to take the clamps from Chris. He'd played with his own nipples plenty of times, but he'd never put a nipple clamp on himself. It would hurt. It would hurt a lot, and he wasn't sure that he would be able to do this for Chris. For himself. It was one thing to be the recipient of pain when it was being inflicted on him by a top, but quite another thing to do the deed himself. Martin watched as Chris settled back into the chair, his eyes unreadable as he looked back at him.
Martin looked down at the clamps. The chain that linked them was of medium weight, one he knew he could handle as it pulled on the clamps. The clamps themselves were alligator style, and adjustable. Martin picked up the first clamp, making sure that it was to the fully open position. Reaching up to his chest, he wasn't all that surprised to find that his own nipples were already erect, making it easier for what he had to do. Taking a deep breath, he put the clamp in place, and then began to adjust it, tightening the clamp against his nipple, the pain slowly building which each adjustment. He tried hard to not gasp out loud, but the pain increased along with the pressure, and Martin was now determined to see just how much pain he could cause himself to feel.
"That's enough," Chris's voice was firm and Martin instantly obeyed as he let go of the clamp. "Now the left one."
Martin repeated the process, once stopping when commanded to do so by Chris. Chris then sat forward and reached for the chain that swung freely between the two clamps, tugging on it and making Martin gasp from the new jolt of pain.
Smiling, Chris nodded. "Now you can get back to what you were doing. I didn't buy a butt plug or dildo, so you'll have to use your own fingers."
Acutely aware of Chris's grasp on the chain, Martin brought his left hand to his mouth, liberally wetting his first two fingers. As he began to stroke his cock with his right hand, Martin spread his thighs even further apart and began to slowly insert the first finger. Within a few minutes, he had worked up a rather nice rhythm of stroking his cock while fucking his own ass with his fingers. Every now and then Chris would tug at the chain, a motion that would send Martin's arousal one notch higher.
He had kept looking at Chris during this time, and the look in the other man's eyes was also doing a lot toward keeping Martin aroused. But he knew that he was nearing his orgasm, and Chris knew it, too. Chris pulled back on the chain, holding it taut and pulling Martin's nipples hard. The steady pain raced through Martin's body and settled in his groin. His hands moving faster, Martin held his breath as he waited for Chris to speak. It was one thing to be told to play with himself, and quite another to come when Chris had not yet given his permission to do so. Yes, Chris had at first told him to make himself come, but he could see by the look on Chris's face that he wanted to be the one controlling Martin's pleasure.
So close, so damn close. Martin closed his eyes, but immediately opened them as he felt a sharp yank on the chain. "Look at me, boy." Chris ordered, and Martin gazed directly into Chris's green eyes, now dark with desire. Chris pulled a bit harder on the chain, smiling at Martin's gasp of pain.
Leaning forward, Chris placed a quick kiss on Martin's slightly parted lips. He then began to pull steadily at the chain, the pain and discomfort slowly growing. "Come for me, Martin."
As with the rest of Chris's orders, Martin found himself quick and eager to obey, wanting nothing more than to see that look of approval in Chris's eyes.
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By the time Martin returned from the bathroom, Danny had finished going over the credit card information for that Sunday. He hadn't learned anything useful, or at least nothing that was yet known to be useful. Larabee hadn't charged anything until he reached the hotel in New York, and even then, he'd only charged his room. If he'd gone out to eat anywhere, then he'd paid cash.
Danny shut down the computer and glanced up as Martin passed by him on the way to the bed that he'd chosen. Martin looked wiped out, and for a moment Danny felt guilty about teasing him about getting up early to run. Hopefully the few hours of sleep that they'd get would be enough to get the two of them through the next day. If not, then he was foreseeing a lot of caffeine in their future.
Martin crawled into bed just as quietly as he'd left the bathroom, and Danny took that as a sign that Martin wasn't in the mood to talk. Danny got to his feet and retrieved his gear, then went to get ready for bed. Unlike Martin, he didn't use anything for pajamas, opting instead to sleep in his undershorts. If it was cold, then he added more blankets, but never more clothing.
When Danny returned to the room, he could tell by the sound of Martin's breathing that the younger man was already asleep, which was good. It wasn't until his head hit the pillow that a stray thought settled long enough to be registered. When they'd spoken to Jack, he'd congratulated Martin on his guess about Lairs Delights, and at the time, it hadn't really registered with Danny. Oh, he remembered Martin calling Jack from the plane, and he sure as Hell knew what kind of store that was. What hadn't registered was how Martin had come up with that guess. It wasn't the kind of a store that Danny could picture Martin walking into, and even though Danny had hinted about what Larabee had been doing with his nights, he didn't really think that it warranted the leap in logic that resulted in them discovering that Larabee had shopped there. Sure, they'd have found it soon enough on the credit card info, but now they were one step ahead because of Martin.
Danny turned his head to the side, peering through the darkness at Martin's side of the room. He'd have to ask Martin about that hunch of his come morning. Well, later that morning, if he wanted to be technical about it. And there was no doubt at all, that when it came to Martin, it was technical all the way.
Part Six