A Strong Hand

honey-toned skin that had been exposed fully to him the night before.
    35

    A Strong Hand
    by Catt Ford
    Nick looked up guiltily, wondering what Damian was thinking. He hoped that nothing of his arousal was showing, unaware that his wide eyes and parted lips spoke volumes to both men.
    "Put this on with it," Ashley said, tossing a white shirt at Nick.
    Nick caught it, his fingers sliding against the silky fabric.
    "Go get dressed, boy," Damian urged. "We'll take a few shots so Ashley can make a decision."
    Nick went to the bathroom to change while Damian set up his digital camera on the tripod standing right where he'd left it the previous evening. It amused him to direct Nicholas to the same set, and he wondered maliciously how uncomfortable it would make the young man.
    Ashley gave a wolf whistle when Nicholas emerged from the bathroom. The silk of the shirt was thin and the flat dark circles of his nipples showed dimly through the fabric. The leather pants clung to his slim hips, outlining each cheek of his arse, the smooth lines telling the two older men that he was going commando.
    "Nicholas," Damian said, his husky voice purring with power, "go into the set. Put both hands behind you and lean on that bar."
    Nick felt his cock twitch at the tone in Damian's voice; the slow drawl was commanding, but promised a rich reward for obedience. Automatically, he walked to the canvas, shivering from the cold of the painted concrete floor under his bare feet. The canvas was a little warmer, although he stumbled as he tripped over the forgotten lump of foam under the cloth.
    36

    A Strong Hand
    by Catt Ford
    When he reached the bar, Nick faced Damian, not fully, but turned into the light, his eyes flicking questioningly to the photographer to see if he was posed correctly.
    "Hands behind your back. Lean on the bar," Damian directed encouragingly.
    Ashley moved abruptly to stand behind the cart that held Damian's computer monitor tethered to the camera, in order to hide his burgeoning cock. At Damian's order, Nick had put his hands behind him, grabbing the bar, making him arch his chest out, the buttons pulling a bit. His nipples were hard and the little peaks were shadowed as the white silk pressed against them.
    "Good boy," Damian said softly.
    Even from where Ashley stood, he could see how the soft leather outlined every ridge and vein of Nicholas's cock as it stood erect in sharp relief. Damian's voice had had its effect on Nick. No matter how he tried to make it go down, Nick's erection continued to grow.
    The pose he had taken had the effect of making him look as if his hands were bound behind him, but his eyes were defiant and his mouth sulky. His dark curly hair swept almost to his shoulders.
    Damian strode onto the set and tousled the boy's hair, making him look as if he'd just rolled out of bed. He pulled out his own lip balm, smearing it onto the pink curved mouth until it glistened. Damian pretended not to notice how Nicholas jumped whenever he touched him, panting softly through parted lips. As a final touch, he opened one button of the shirt, dragging his fingertips deliberately over the exposed 37

    A Strong Hand
    by Catt Ford
    skin to pull the shirt slightly open. He smiled right into Nicholas's eyes as he heard a small groan of desire, inaudible to Ashley.
    "Good boy," he said again, and he returned to his camera.
    Nick was acutely aware of every feather-light brush of Damian's fingers against his skin, the thumb smearing the salve on his lips, fingers drawing along his chest, and hands on his shoulders positioning him just so. He forgot that Ashley was even in the studio with them.
    "Damian," Ashley said in a breathy voice. "That looks good."
    "Good enough to eat?" Damian asked softly, so Nick couldn't hear the words, only his voice.
    "Good enough to beat," Ashley concurred, laughing as Damian frowned at him. Having got his cock back under control, he sauntered up behind Damian. "Don't worry; he's yours. You have first dibs."
    "Mine?" Damian was shocked. "I don't want him. I'm done with all that."
    "No, you're not," Ashley said confidently. "Besides, this one's yours, whether you want him or not. He jumps to attention when you speak. Watch." Raising his voice, he called to the boy, "Nicholas, turn to your left just a bit."
    "All right," Nick called back confidently, moving as Ashley had requested.
    "See? Nothing. Now you try."
    Damian looked up and smiled at Nicholas. "Slide down the bar camera