A Strong Hand

Strong Hand
    by Catt Ford

Chapter Ten
    Nick would have been quite happy to take his pile of clean, folded laundry and gone home at the end of a day during which he'd napped almost constantly. He had drifted out of the office once to observe the shoot, dismayed to see that Mistress Bettie was working her wiles on Damian again. He turned so pale that Derek and Ashley had both exclaimed at him and Damian had sternly ordered him back to the couch.
    Feeling limp and weak, he went without bothering to protest. He didn't protest later either when Damian took him to his flat. He was hoping that perhaps he would be invited to Damian's bed, but instead he was dropped off in front of his apartment block and told to get some rest.
    Damian was polite and considerate; he hadn't given a single order since Saturday night and Nick felt that he had become extremely remote. He had no idea how he had offended the photographer and no idea how to regain the ground that they'd lost.
    Nick had classes the next day so he wasn't rostered for work at the studio. He'd hoped Damian would call his cell but it remained silent all day, except for one text from his sister.
    That night, alone in his small, cold, uncomfortable apartment, with the spring that poked through the mattress sticking him in the ribs, he cried himself to sleep.

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    174

    A Strong Hand
    by Catt Ford
    Meanwhile, things were on the up for Ashley. He'd driven Derek home from the restaurant on Saturday night, recognizing the younger man's efforts to keep the conversation going. When Derek invited him in for coffee he'd accepted, and they had managed to get along rather nicely.
    Ashley's mood was one of hopeful optimism when he arrived at the studio the next morning. Therefore he was a bit dismayed to see that Nick had reverted to his antagonistic, surly manner while Damian was remote and snappy.
    After the promising atmosphere of Saturday night and the tenderness with which Damian had tended to the boy when he was hurt, Ashley couldn't imagine what had gone wrong. It was absolutely none of his business whatsoever, and therefore he fully intended to pry and poke until he had the full story. Then he would set it to rights. Top he might be, but he was also the CEO of a large and successful company and this was merely an example of employee discord. Or nearly so, he thought with a grin. All analogies were imperfect.
    He decided to tackle Nick first; the boy was inexperienced and obviously confused, and therefore an easier mark than Damian. Ashley wasn't his Dom, but he had no doubt that he could bring the boy to his knees. Literally.
    After watching Nick shrug and snarl at Derek, Ashley had an even more potent reason for stepping in. No one dissed his boy. Even though Derek technically hadn't agreed to anything yet, Ashley had hopes in that arena.
    Waiting for Damian to be otherwise occupied on the set, Ashley meandered into the kitchen area. Damian had nixed all his suggestions for using Nick in any shots that day, and 175

    A Strong Hand
    by Catt Ford
    therefore the boy had been demoted once again to assistant.
    Privately Ashley thought perhaps it was because they were shooting short shorts and Damian didn't want Nick's arse on display, but whatever the reason, the boy was drooping about over his task, aimlessly wiping the countertops free of crumbs from morning coffee.
    "Hello, Nicholas. How is your hip today?" Ashley asked kindly.
    "Fine," was the terse, one-word answer. Nick didn't even look up.
    That would have to be remedied; the boy wasn't his sub, but he was a sub, and Ashley was a Top. Time for the boy to learn that there were manners in this world!
    "Boy!" Ashley said crisply, in a voice that snapped with power.
    Nick looked up, his eyes wide with apprehension. Ashley pointed to the floor and automatically, without thinking, Nick went to his knees and clasped his hands behind him, wondering what had compelled his obedience.
    "Better," Ashley said. "Boy, I am a Dom. I may not be your Dom, but I require respect. If you behave like that again, I'll put you on your knees no matter who else is in the room. Is that clear?"
    "Yes, sir," Nick responded miserably. There was no sexual charge for him in obeying Ashley but his position on his knees reminded him of how much he'd lost. He looked down at the floor, blinking to keep his tears from spilling over.
    "What happened between you and Damian?" Ashley said in a kinder voice. "Things seemed to be going so well, both of